Authorities propose lease charges on cemetery tenants

The proposed lease premium charges set by Masaka Municipal authorities have attracted mixed reactions among local leaders.
New charges were introduced for tenants occupying land housing the municipal public cemetery, who want to legalise their tenancy.
Although the municipal works committee report set Shs800, 000 as premium for each tenant, executive members rejected this fee, saying the money is too little compared to the current market value.

At least 24 people are occupying the municipal public cemetery, measuring three acres at Kamirampango Village near Kijjabwemi Trading Centre on Masaka-Mbarara Highway. Many of the encroachers on the municipal cemetery land have since constructed permanent houses.

According to Mr Robert Kambugu, the chairperson municipal works committee, the set premium is reasonable and was reached at after consulting the municipal planner and the government chief valuer.
“We recommended that a fee in a range of Shs800,000 be charged per decimal for the sub-lease,” Mr Kambugu said during an interview on Monday.
He said the money that will be collected as premium will be used to buy another piece of land where to relocate the cemetery.

Accusation
However, Ms Sarah Nakyanzi, the deputy municipal mayor, accuses members on the works committee of acting outside their mandate.
She said the committee members were only assigned to establish the number of encroachers and how they acquired the land, but not set premium charges.
“What the works committee members recommended as premium is too little and cannot help facilitate the process of relocating the cemetery,” Ms Nanyanzi said.
Mr Godfrey Kayemba Afaayo, the municipality mayor, said new assessment will be carried out to determine the premium charge that the tenants will pay.

“We shall soon discuss that matter [premium] in our executive meetings to arrive at a better resolution,” Mr Kayemba said.
When encroachers claimed the municipal public cemetery, Mr Kayemba, said they resorted to burying unclaimed bodies at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital’s cemetery which also has squatters.
“So, we currently don’t have a free gazetted public cemetery and if we fail to get reasonable money out of those encroachers, we may fail to buy land elsewhere,” he said.

The colonial government had put aside 10 acres of land for the municipal public cemetery, but unscrupulous staff attached to Masaka District land board have over the years been parcelling it out to individuals.
Recently, the municipal authorities, said they were also in negotiations with the army land board to secure compensation for another piece of land adjacent to the armoured brigade headquarters at Kasijjagirwa, on the outskirts of Masaka Town, which was previously part of the cemetery.

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