KCCA to pay Shs360b to businessman for contested Kisenyi land

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has committed to pay Shs360billion to businessman Bosco Muwonge for his 10-acre land in Kisenyi that has for long been contested and sucked up the said owner and traders on the said land.

On Tuesday, parliament Speaker Anita Among asked KCCA to initiate the process of paying about Shs36.1billion for each acre of the land even as Muwonge maintained demands for Shs370billion.

Among’s intervention came after the Federation of Kampala Hawkers and Vendors Association last month petitioned her office as the businessman moved to push them off his land.

"I believe that that it will be prudent for you [KCCA] to budget for us to see how to sort out the issue of the vendors and the hawkers,” Among said during a meeting involving Muwonge and the KCCA team led by Minister for Kampala Minsa Kabanda at Parliament.

The land in question is where KCCA relocated street hawkers and vendors evicted in Kampala in a bid to decongest the city.

However, friction erupted between traders on the said land and Muwonge with the businessman accusing government of failing to pay for space to accommodate the vendors.

Muwonge initially demanded about Shs37.6billion for each acre of the land but government rejected his wish reasoning that the amount was high.

Now, minister Kabanda says Shs66.1billion will be paid to Muwonge for each acre, per the chief government valuer.

“We agreed that it will be paid back in instalments,” she emphasized regarding the payment which President Museveni has reportedly cleared conditionally.

“Museveni came up with an executive order that the land is prime and we should buy it in a phased manner," Kabanda added.

By the end of Tuesday’s meeting, Muwonge had agreed to take the amount offered by government for his land, prompting Among to direct Kabanda to write a payment commitment letter.

“I want to assure you that we are going to work on that and that before the end of this year, I am going to talk to the Executive Director [about it],” Kabanda responded.

Still on Tuesday, Muwonges pledged to halt eviction of traders.

"I feel good that I have been promised that they are going to commit in writing to assure me that they will buy the land and also allow the process to fall through smoothly," Muwonge noted.

He added: “Those traders are my people. We are going to be together because they are my people."

In the process of settling the payment, government is expected to plan and include the money in next year’s financial budget 2024/25 of the KCCA, something parliament will approve.

“As Parliament, our role is very simple. We will give what is requested. We don't initiate any money to be given out.  We will wait for KCCA to initiate a requisition that you will need this amount of money and we will give that [within the budget],” Ms Among said.

‘Wrong decision’             

Kampala Mayor Erias Lukwago frowned at the deal calling it a “wrong decision for government to lose billions of money that would be invested in other critical areas in Kampala.”

"That is a raw deal we are getting from Muwonge. We cannot proceed with it. It is questionable and stinks. It should not go ahead," Lukwago said in an interview.

He added: "That transaction is rooted in fraud. Actually the amount involved [for each acre] was so shocking.”