Land grabbers foiling Mbarara city bid - leaders

A section of Mbarara Municipal Council leaders have expressed concern over the rampant cases of land grabbing and corruption in the area, saying they are impeding development of the proposed city.
The town clerk, Mr Francis Baryabanawe, on Wednesday said in the strategic plan for the proposed city, one of the priorities is fighting for and reclaiming government land that has been grabbed.

“I have worked in almost all parts of the country, I am just three months old here but I can tell you Mbarara ranks second in land grabbing in all the municipalities in Uganda, after Jinja,” Mr Barabanawe said during the municipality/city budget conference.
“You have stolen almost every government land; you have stolen land for garbage disposal, [land for] dead bodies [cemeteries]. We can’t get a city without land, whoever took government land should vacate it in peace immediately,” he added.

Cabinet on May 20 approved elevation of nine municipalities to cities and these include Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Fort Portal, Mbarara, Hoima, Mbale, Lira and Entebbe. Some will be operational in July 2020.
“We are expecting this town to be a city on July 1 next year. We don’t want to go back to the planning phase again, that’s why we have decided that whatever plans we are coming up with have to be in a measure of a city,” Mr Barabanawe said.
Mbarara will be a commercial and regional city.
Mr Barabanawe added that they are planning to make the divisions production zones, with each producing a particular commodity in abundance. The divisions are Kakoba, Kamukuzi, Nyamitanga, Nyakayojo, Kakiika and Biharwe.

Poor mindset
“These divisions will specialise in different products such as poultry, fruits, dairy and food stuffs, among others. Right now, most of these products come from outside of Mbarara Town but for the city to improve, we need to strategically put residents at the centre of production,” Mr Barabanawe said.
The Mbarara mayor, Mr Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, said the leaders have to work on changing mindset of the residents and align them to aspirations of the city.

“Communities need to see and appreciate things in a new fashion. They must embrace opportunities and challenges that will come with city status,” Mr Kayebezi said.
However, the Resident District Commissioner, Lt Col James Mwesigye, said many of the leaders lack integrity.
“The biggest challenge this town is facing is corruption; Mbarara is in love with corruption, we have to stand up and fight this. Leaders are full of lies, they can’t stand and speak against injustices but are just there looking for cheap popularity,” Col Mwesigye said.

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