Entebbe golf club development plan splits members

Kampala- The proposed plan to redevelop the Entebbe Golf Club has thrown the members into sharp disagreement.

Some members say the redevelopment plan could be a scheme by unscrupulous people to grab the club’s land in Entebbe Municipality.

However, Mr Kihumuro Apuuli, the trustee at the forefront of the redevelopment project, says the investor will ‘lease’ only the land which is not in use. He says the investor wants only 10 acres of the club’s 115 acres.

Investor
Saturday Monitor could not readily establish the identity of the investor and Mr Apuuli said he could not remember the name.

He said the investor will build a new clubhouse, hotel and apartments and redesign the golf course.

According to Mr Apuuli, the investor will also construct a swimming pool, a lawn tennis, basketball courts and amenities to invite new customers to the club.

He said the investor will spend $11.5m (about Shs32.7b) on redeveloping the golf club.

However, some other members of the club separately told Saturday Monitor in Entebbe and Kampala that the project is estimated to cost $6.2m (Shs18.2b).

Of the $6.2m, $3m (Shs8.8b) will be spent on the clubhouse while the rest is to be used on redesigning the golf course.

The investor is to fund the redevelopment in return for a 99–year lease of the 10 acres.

Impact
To pave the way for the redevelopment, the clubhouse and course will be closed to the members for 12 months effective May this year and it will take up to 15 months to redesign the golf course.

Members will relocate to the nine-hole Palm Valley Golf Club 12km away.

The defiant members say this will deprive them of their property and render them redundant.
Also, they fear the recapitalisation will mean they have to pay higher subscription fees.

Mr Valentine Wandah, one of the club’s three trustees, said the members might have to dig deeper into their pockets to pay subscription fees.

However, Mr Apuuli said people who will be members by the time of commissioning the redeveloped club will pay a low subscription fee. Those who will join after the commissioning, however, will pay a higher fee.

Being a member of a golf club, Mr Apuuli added, “is not cheap; members should know a good club requires money for maintenance”.

Controversy
According to documents seen by Saturday Monitor, the same land has two different uses. In one, the user is restricted to a golf course and sporting facility. In the other letter, the user is restricted to residential/commercial use.

Mr Gilbert Kasozi, the Wakiso District land officer, in whose name the different land use letters were signed, declined to comment on the contradiction.
“Court will decide the matter,” Mr Kasozi said by telephone.

The letters have the same date (June 16, 2014), reference number (WAK 0008–06–014), addressee (The Registrar of Titles, Ministry Zonal Office, Wakiso) and request the latter to issue Entebbe Club with a freehold title for Plot M.95, Entebbe).

The protesting members are also against the conversion of the land use from golf and sporting facility to residential and commercial use. They argue that if it is converted, the investor might convert part of the golf course into hotel and apartments.

However, Mr Vincent Kayanja, the Entebbe Municipality mayor, said they had not yet received the club’s redevelopment plan.

“The municipality has not approved the redevelopment of the golf course. We haven’t received an application from the club. But we are aware of some members, especially the senior residents, who are against certain aspects of the redevelopment,” Mr Kayanja said on Thursday.

The 11 objecting members have petitioned Mr Mohamed Kawuma, the Entebbe Municipality MP to intervene.

In a February 4 letter, they said since they do not know the investor, they cannot do due diligence on him or her.

When contacted, Mr Kawuma acknowledged receipt of the petition.

Mr Nathan Twinamasiko, who has been a member of the club since 1982, said the 99–year lease would be equivalent to selling the land.

He said it would be against Resolution 5 of June 30, 2012, which was against selling the club’s land.
However, Mr Apuuli insists majority of the members support the redevelopment project. Entebbe Golf Club has 278 members.

The Golf club

The Golf club was established by Sir Harry Hamilton Johnson, the colonial administrator of Uganda Protectorate in 1901. It had a 9-hole golf course from 1901 to 2001.

In 2001, it was upgraded to an 18-hole golf course.
The members opposed to the redevelopment of the club are: F L Orach-Meza, E W Bera, Dr Nathan Twinamasiko, Paul Kasozi Kazenga, T Zergaber, J T Tuhumwire, James Masiko, Kaj Ostergaard, Kagoro Asiimwe, Dr Chris Rutebarika, Captain Oketcho Godfrey.

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