The Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit in State House, Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema, has said that all the lawful residents of the proposed Bukasa Inland Port in Wakiso District will have their properties valued.
She gave the assurance in Bukasa Kirinya village, Bweyogerere Division of Kiira Municipality in Wakiso District where she addressed the residents centering on complaints of alleged under-valuation of their properties.
The meeting took place in response to residents’ complaints that their houses are being undervalued in the process of paving the way for the establishment of the Inland Port. A total of 2,738 properties were earmarked for compensation.
However, there has been an outcry over alleged discrepancies during the exercise.
Out of that number, less than 1,000 claimants received assessment forms. The people that the project has affected say they have waited for the display and amendment of the list but all in vain.
The residents bitterly complained of people who have small properties but who have been shortlisted for huge benefits while those owning big assets are saying that they are being given peanuts.
“This is Government land. The lawful claimants, who have developments, will be compensated. Everyone will be valued. I am pleased to note that you are supporting a Government project,” she said.
She observed that there was a need to appoint an independent team of technical people to do a re-evaluation.
Lt. Col. Nakalema, therefore, asked the claimants to appoint a committee to be led by their LC 1 Chairperson, John Kaddu, to make a follow up of the matter with the Anti- Corruption Unit on Monday 11th November 2019. She informed the claimants that Albertine Consultants Ltd would be investigated over the discrepancies in the compensation efforts. She asked the Uganda Police to investigate the Commissioner of Transport Services, Ms. Rose Tibiwa, for alleged connivance in the bad valuation of the property in Bukasa. She also asked the Police to investigate an ISO Officer, Majid Kiwanuka, over his role in inciting wananchi and causing confusion.
The LC 1 Chairperson, John Kaddu, revealed that officials of the Ministry of Works and Transport, asked the residents to present their assessment forms well knowing that a good number of them never received any. He added that some of the assessment forms that were presented do not correspond to those in the Ministry of Works and Transport. He, therefore, requested the Ministry of Works and Transport to post to the area the Officers who are handling the Bukasa Inland Port Project in order to ease the process that the residents were going through.