Buganda, Kayunga leaders lock horns over sewer line

Conflict. The sewer line from Kayunga hospital that Buganda Land Board claims is being built on kingdom land without their consent. BY FRED MUZAALE

What you need to know:

  • The district deputy chief administrative officer, Mr Benson Otim, admitted that there were communication gaps among the stakeholders.

Kayunga. Buganda Kingdom has protested the ongoing construction of a sewer pipe line on their piece of land in Kayunga Town by Kayunga District leaders.
The sewer line, whose construction started in January, will see sewage from Kayunga Hospital flow to the faecal sludge in Bukolooto Village, a suburb of Kayunga Town.
The ongoing refurbishment of Kayunga Hospital and the construction of the sewer line are both being undertaken by Arab Contractors at a tune of Shs70b.

Mr Wasswa Bukenya, the Buganda Land Board (BLB) operations coordinator, said although the kingdom supports the project, the district started laying the sewer line without their consent.
“We are not against development but we should be consulted when they are putting up such a project on our land,” Mr Bukenya said while meeting Kabaka’s chiefs at Kayunga Sub-county headquarters on Wednesday.

He was supported by Mr George Sserubogo, the Kabaka’s local chief in Kayunga Sub-county, who said he was surprised to find excavators digging trenches on their land without any consent.
“This is our property and I think there is no one who doesn’t know this. It is illegal for one to carry out any project on the land without the consent of the owner,” Mr Sserubogo said.

The disputed piece of land, which is located at Kayunga Sub-county headquarters, is also being claimed by police in the area.
Mr Martin Senkatuuka, the Bunyala chiefdom premier, also claims the land is part of the properties handed to them as per the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between Mengo and the central government. The Banyala are a minority tribal group in Kayunga District.

Kayunga Sub-county chairperson Christopher Muganga said he complained to the district chairperson, Mr Tom Sserwanga, over the sewer line project, but the latter instead accused him of fighting development in the area. “I then wrote to the chief administrative officer, informing him that we had halted the project until they inform and convince us on why they carried it out without our knowledge,” Mr Muganga said.

The district deputy chief administrative officer, Mr Benson Otim, admitted that there were communication gaps among the stakeholders.
“But even if there were gaps in communication, it cannot make them halt the project. This hospital is going to benefit all of us and I think they should cooperate with us,” Mr Otim said.