Govt orders occupants off Naguru estate land

KAMPALA.

People still residing in the former Naguru-Nakawa low-cost housing estate and the adjacent railway reserve land have until Saturday (April 15) to leave or potentially face an eviction by police.

The directive is contained in an April 7 letter by Kampala minister Beti Kamya, a copy which Daily Monitor has seen and which the affected persons already have, although they have appealed to government to support them with relocation and settlement funds.

Those on the Uganda Railways land, however, say they have a case in court and are waiting for a court decision before making their next move.

Ms Kamya’s letter copied to the Inspector General of Police directs the Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander to “conduct the eviction of anyone who would not have left the subject land by the said date”.

Development
The 60-acre piece of land which was cleared for re-development has been earmarked for the construction of the Aga Khan Hospital University Teaching Hospital.

In 2015, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) announced that the first phase of constructing the teaching hospital would start in 2017 and be completed in 2020 at a cost of $100 million (about Shs358 billion).

The hospital is among other things expected to provide Ugandans with access to “world-class care when they need it and where they need it, preventing unnecessary suffering due to delays or unavailability as well as the expense and disruption of seeking care abroad.”

The hospital is also expected to be equipped with specialised cardiac operation theatres, intensive care units and radiation therapy equipment.

“The project has not commenced partly because you are still encumbering the land with your unauthorised physical presence.

This project is very vital for the populace that will benefit from the services of the hospital,” Ms Kamya notes. In the letter, Ms Kamya says the continued occupation by the residents is jeopardising the commencement of the works on the hospital.

Residents’ plea
“We are not stubbornly refusing to go but we lack where to go. We are not here to oppose government programmes but we are asking our government to support us to leave,” one of the residents who asked not to be named told Daily Monitor during an interview.

Residents say they have made a similar pledge to several government officials including Ms Kamya’s deputy, the Resident City Commissioner and different police commanders who have visited them over time.

The area police was by yesterday unaware of the impending eviction. Instead, the officer found at the station referred Daily Monitor to his bosses at Kampala Metropolitan Police headquarters in Kampala.