Masaka taxi park tenants defy council ultimatum

The Taxi Park tenants have defied the notice as they vow to stay until their rent expires.

Some 100 tenants residing in and around the main Masaka Municipality Taxi Park have defied a council directive to vacate the premises.

In December, Masaka Municipality issued an ultimatum to all residents living in the two-roomed houses to leave on grounds that they were meant to be shops and not residential houses, and they were given up to January 14.

With the deadline gone, the tenants are still on the premises and say they were going nowhere because they had paid their rent.

Ms Sarah Nansubuga, one of the affected persons said on Monday that the municipality tendered houses to private individuals who subsequently partitioned them into residential rental houses.

But the Town Clerk, Mr Johnson Munono Balyantuma, said the occupants had no choice but to vacate the premises because the council would do whatever it took to remove them, alleging they were there illegally.