Masaka chairperson, mayor clash over road

Masaka. Mr Jude Mbabaali, the Masaka District chairperson, has clashed with municipal mayor, Mr Godfrey Kayemba Afaayo.

This disagreement stems from a road whose section got damaged as the contractor for Masaka Currency Centre laid a sewerage pipe connecting the new building to the town’s main sewer line.
The damaged Kooki Road lies in front of a building which houses Mr Mbabaali’s law firm.

Mr Mbabaali said although Bank of Uganda had to dig the road to lay the sewer pipe, they could have repaired the damaged section quickly rather than leaving it open. He said this inconveniences road users.

“Instead of restoring our tarmac road after installing the sewer pipe, they just poured soil, which is easily eroded away whenever it rains, making the town look shabby,” Mr Mbabaali said in an interview on Wednesday.

Failed attempts
He said he had earlier engaged BoU officials and the governor, Prof Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile, who sent a team which inspected the affected road and on seeing the extensive damage, the BoU chief engineer committed himself to restore the road to its original state, something that has not been done to date.

However, Afaayo said Mr Mbabaali could have complained to Masaka Municipal authorities who cleared BoU to dig up part of the road.
“I don’t expect the district chairperson to say anything good about the Bank of Uganda Currency Centre project since he opposed it right from the start.

Even the road he complains about is under the municipality and instead of coming to us to establish whether they (BoU) sought clearance, he chose to run to the media,” he said yesterday

He said Masaka as a town has been losing out on various development projects because of what he called ‘selfish interests’ and this has stifled its chances of being elevated to a city.

In 2016, Mr Mbabaali, and members of civil society under South Buganda Anti-corruption Association, attempted to block the construction of a currency centre in Masaka Town, claiming that the municipal authorities had illegally given away part of the golf course land to BoU.

He secured an interim order halting construction works, claiming that BoU had illegally acquired the land.
However, Mr Mbabaali later sought an out-of-court arbitration to resolve the impasse.

But the district boss still insists the new currency centre building was constructed in the green belt of Masaka thus affecting the town’s beautiful scenery.
“…the fact is that, the bank without permission opened up our tarmacked roads in the middle of Masaka Town for a sewer pipe for the currency centre,” he added.

Ms Charity Mugumya, the director of communications at the central bank, said they are aware about the matter, and the damaged road will soon be fixed. “We are going to repair the damaged section of the road in the shortest time possible,” she said.

BACKGROUND

The Bank of Uganda currency centre, which is nearing completion sits on a two-acre piece of land on Plot 15-17 on Birch Road in the heart of Masaka Town.
The land was acquired by the central bank in 2006 from the then registered lease owner, Mr Asaph Mukalazi, a local businessman.

The latter had acquired a lease from the municipal council in 1995 following the re-planning of Masaka Town after the 1979 war that ended President Idi Amin Dada nine- year rule.
In 2001, BoU’s lease was renewed by Masaka District Land Board.

[email protected]