Masaka mayor under fire over sale of children’s park

Leaders in Masaka have piled pressure on the mayor, Ms Florence Namayanja, to explain circumstances under which a prime piece of public land changed ownership to a private developer.

The disputed land measuring 2.07 acres (about 0.837 hectares) on Plot 64-74, Elgin Street, was gazetted as a children’s park and vendors have been operating in the place since 2018 until August 11, when they were relocated to the new market.

But on Saturday night, unknown people fenced off the park with iron sheets.

This did not go down well with city dwellers who on Sunday morning, with the backing of area legislators Abed Bwanika (Kimaanya /Kabanera) and Ms Juliet Kakande (Masaka City Woman) stormed the park and attempted to pull down the iron sheets before police dispersed them after firing teargas. 

The land is adjacent to Masaka Secondary School main gate.

Addressing journalists in Masaka on Monday, Mr  Bwanika said Ms Namayanja had embarrassed the Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party whose ticket she used to become mayor.

Almost all current political leaders in Masaka City subscribe to NUP.

“Ms Namayanja has come out to defend the irregular sale of the park, this is unfortunate and we apologise to the people of Masaka for giving them a self-centred mayor, we didn’t know,” he explained.

“We have written to the city clerk to look at a council minute and resolution that was passed to sell off that land,” he added.

According to Ms Namayanja, the disputed children’s park land is owned by Ms Sylvia Nagujja Lutta, a member of late Kampala-based businessman Francis Kakumba’s family, who obtained a freehold title on August 17, 2011.

 However, there is also another leasehold title of 99 years acquired by the city on January 1, 1959.

Pledge

“We are also going to raise this issue with Parliament’s Committee on Local Government to investigate the matter, on top of petitioning the Inspectorate of Government because we suspect the land was allocated after the issuance of bribes to a section of city leaders,” Mr Bwanika said.

But Mr Ponsiano Ssenyonga, on behalf of  late Kakumba’s family, said  they acquired the children’s park  legally.

“We expressed desire to buy that land and we approached the leadership of Masaka Municipality then and a transaction was done legally,” he said.

But Ms Kakande said they will not sit back and watch when the remaining city properties are irregularly being disposed of. Early this year, it emerged that Masaka City Council had lost more than Shs50b in fraudulent land transactions in the past decade.

“We are aware that several leases of plots in the city are due to expire and since the council is the sitting tenant, we should take the necessary steps to renew these leases instead of waiting for unscrupulous  people to come up and claim that prime land,” she said.

Mayor speaks out

Speaking to journalists on Monday at her office, Ms Namayanja stated that the children’s park land was sold by previous city leadership and she is ready to support the current owner to develop it for the good of the city.

“The transaction was done in 2011but I became mayor in May 2021. We have checked with the lands office and we have failed to find a land title belonging to the city,” she added.

Kimaanya/ Kabonera Municipality Mayor Steven Lukyamuzi, who previously served as Masaka Municipal speaker between 2011–2016, said it is not true that the disputed piece of land was sold off during his tenure.

“I was the Speaker in 2011 and there is no council minute nor resolution okaying the sale of that specific property to any private developer,

I am going to drag the city council and developer to court to challenge the process in which that land was disposed of,” he said.

Background

 Last year, Masaka City Council learnt that a total of 20 public land titles for properties owned by the city were missing. The city inventory indicates that the affected properties include; Kkumbu playground, Masaka Regional Referral Hospital Mortuary, the newly constructed Masaka Central Market, Katwe Market, Masaka Bus Park, and Mayor’s Chambers.

Others are; Old Kkumbu Estate, Lions Nursery School, Masaka Public Library, Transit Parking Yard, Kyabakuza Health Centre II, Kimaanya Residential House, Kimaanya Kabonera  Sub-county headquarters, Bwala Public Playgrounds, City Yard, Masaka Golf Course and several green belt spaces and plots of land within the  central business area.