The redevelopment of Nakawa-Naguru housing estate is yet to be completed by the developer nine years after taking over the land, Business Focus reveals.
This revelation was made by former tenants of the said estate when they petitioned Parliament on Monday seeking to reclaim the 66 hectares of land from which they were displaced.
Led by the Chairperson of Naguru-Nakawa Tenants Association, Simon Baligo and Nakawa Division MP, Michael Kabaziguruka, the former tenants argue that since Opec Prime Properties, the contracted developer has failed to live by the agreements of delivering the houses to them nine years later, repossessing the land is the best option for them.
The former tenants agreed to vacate the land to pave way for its redevelopment and the subsequent resettlement programme.
“The project site remains vacant, except a few residential houses that have been constructed on parcelled out pieces of land, in contravention of the MOU which required that the 1747 flats for the former tenants be constructed before any other development, further making us concerned about delivery of the flats,” the petition reads in part.
It is important to note that on 5th October 2007, the Government of Uganda signed a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Opec Prime Properties to develop a satellite city with 1,747 residential flats for purchase and resettlement of the former tenants on a first priority basis at a subsidized cost within a period of 10 years.
The agreement noted that failure to complete the redevelopment in the specified period, government shall be at liberty to resume ownership of the then disputed land availed to the developer.
The former tenants are worried that after nine years, Opec Prime Properties allegedly failed to deliver on its mandate as set out in the PPP agreement.
Baligo reveals that there has been a breakdown in communication between government and the former sitting tenants, noting that they continue to incur unnecessary housing costs elsewhere as they await resettlement.
He noted that after reclaiming the land, they will get an independent contractor to develop the land.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, described the development as a shame on the side of the developer, revealing that the idle land poses a security threat to the nearby residents. She urged tenants to remain calm, promising to get explanation from government.
Am following the story so closely