Bunagana – The leadership of Bunagana Town Council is embroiled in a battle with Techno Three, a firm that was awarded the contract to construct a Border Export Zone at the Uganda-DRC border, over land.
On March 12, 2021, the government of Uganda through the Ministry of Works and Transport and Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives launched the construction of a USD 1.3 million Border Export Zone at the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo -DRC border of Bunagana in Kisoro district.
The project was jointly launched by former Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde and her Works and Transport counterpart, Gen Katumba Wamala.
The job was given to Techno Three Uganda Limited as the Contractor with the supervision of KK Partnership Architects, and funded by the World Bank in partnership with Great Lakes Trade Facilitation Project (GLTFP) Uganda.
However, as the contractor started fencing off the 5-acre land for the project on Monday, July 26, the community was shocked to see pillars planted in a footpath, where they planned to open an access road.
The pillars meant that the contractor would fence off all the land belonging to Uganda Revenue Authority, including the footpath which the Town Council planned to develop.
The Town Council had proposed Gatsibo – Customs road and Customs – Bunagana Primary School road, which will both take part of URA and private land.
On Tuesday, this did not go down well with the community who sought the intervention of the leadership, including the Mayor Ismail Ndayambaje and the Town Clerk Richard Niyonzima. The residents had started a demonstration demanding that the contractor leaves space for the community access road until the two leaders, alongside others, intervened and calmed the situation.
The mayor, Ndayambaje Ismail says that the access roads are necessary for the development of the newly created Town Council, wondering why URA could deny them land.
“We are fighting for land yet we are both government entities, why can’t they allow us to have these access roads? You see they have even planted pillars in people’s doorways.” Ndayambaje said as he expressed dissatisfaction.
The Town Clerk, Richard Niyonzima said that in view of a well physically planned Town Council and efficiently serve the business community within the Bunagana Town Council, they had written to the Commissioner General of Uganda Revenue Authority requesting to utilize a small portion of their land for development of access roads.
The letter reads, “the streets pass through a very small portion (North East & South West respectively) within the boundaries of the customs land but at its boundaries with the neighbours who are private individuals.”
The letter requests that the implementation of the One-Stop Border Post/Border Export Zone at the Bunagana border leaves a small portion of land for the roads.
The letter dated March 3, 2021, noted that “the roads will boost business within Bunagana Town Council thereby widening Uganda’s tax base as well as increasing household income as enshrined in Uganda’s Vision 2040.”
Despite the letter being received by the offices of URA, Ministry of Works and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Trade on March 11, no response has been received by the Town Clerk Bunagana Town Council.
One resident, Mahirwe Claire complained “why should we fail to get a road? You can see the pillars are planted on people’s doorways, how will the owners get customers then? This is very wrong.”
Another resident, Ndayambaje Moses said, “the land was got from us residents. Our grandfathers gave land to the government and now the government doesn’t want us to get roads.”
Ndayambaje however urges for calm, saying they will also forward the matter to high authorities and in an upcoming review meeting at the construction site. The meeting scheduled for August 6 is set to be attended by officials from among others, the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Trade, Industries and Cooperatives, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).
The Bufumbira South MP, Alex Niyonsaba Seruganda who was touring Health Centres in his constituency on Tuesday, July 27, made an abrupt visit on the contested land on request by the mayor and promised to follow up the matter in the relevant ministries.
A staff from Techno Three, who demanded anonymity, said that that a contractor, they are fencing off all the land given by the client since they have not received further orders.
Efforts to get a comment from URA remained futile as our calls went unanswered.
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