Land owner blocks works on Karuma-Kawanda powerline

Infrastructure. Construction of Karuma hydropower dam is facing delays. file photo

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Offer. The lordlord claims he rejected the Shs26m offer for compensation for 2,000 trees.

The construction of the 400kv Karuma-Kawanda powerline has suffered another setback after a land owner blocked the works, claiming more than Shs500m in unpaid compensation.
On Tuesday, the Kiryandongo District security team went to Bedmot Village in Mutunda Sub-county to address the misunderstanding between Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) and Mr Asiraf Owor, the owner of a nine-acre Eucalyptus woodlot.
Mr Owor blocked UETCL from cutting down his trees before he is compensated.
Mr Peter Debele, the Resident District Commissioner, told Daily Monitor that the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy had requested his office to address the matter.
“There have been problems not only in Kiryandongo, but in Oyam, Nwoya and other districts up to Kawanda. So we are here to ensure that UETCL negotiates with Mr Owor a satisfactory figure so that works can progress faster,” Mr Debele said.
“There was a disagreement between the value provided by UETCL and the value that he expected. We allowed him to bring his own valuer, besides those from UETCL and the Ministry of Lands,” he added.
Other claimants are said to have delayed implementation of the project.
“It was later discovered that the non-payment was due to mistakes by some of these claimants who never opened bank accounts and submitted details of their relatives, causing the money to be withheld,” Mr Debele said.
However, Mr Owor said he was not ready to grant access to UETCL unless they revised their offer of Shs26m in compensation for 2,000 trees sitting on four acres of land.
“They must pay me Shs600m. What they came with initially made me feel they were bullying me because I spent more than Shs300m on buying the land and putting up those trees eight years ago,” Mr Owor said.
Mr Andrew Nyumba, a senior government valuer, told this newspaper that the results of their tabulation would be released in two days since it was a high priority project.
“We will want to ensure that Mr Owor is offered fair and adequate compensation, even tomorrow (Wednesday) we will want to come out with it so that works begin since the President is set to commission this project by June,” Mr Nyumba said.
Mr Owor agreed that UETCL continues with the works but restricted them to cut only 50 trees to allow the trucks pass and build the tower.
“The rest of the trees can only be cut after you have paid my money within the two months,” he told UETCL officials. Mr Edward Mutesa, UETCL project manager, confirmed the development.
“UETCL also committed to stick by the permitted activities and work jointly with Mr Owor and also pay for the young Eucalyptus trees destroyed. After resolution and payment, construction works will continue up to completion,” Mr Mutesa said.
Two other landowners near Kigumba Sub-county have also blocked the works.
Officials say although Shs123b was set aside in the resettlement action plan to compensate or resettle project affected persons, the power transmission company has been entangled in several land disputes and absentee landlords, especially in Lira and Nakasongola districts.

Stalled works
Documents accessed by this newspaper from UETCL indicate that the transmission line developer Kalpatura Power Transmission Ltd is currently stuck with 22 towers unbuilt due to misunderstandings with the landowners. Out of the 639 towers that are meant to be built from Karuma to Kawanda, only 617 have so far been completed. Uncompleted towers include 11 in Kiryandongo, two in Nakasongola, four in Luweero, and five in Wakiso District.