RESIDENTS TASK GOVERNMENT OVER COMPENSATION FOR KASHENYI-MITOOMA ROAD

By Okoodi Deo
www.mknewslink.com
In Mitooma—
Residents of Katenga Sub County in Mitooma district have tasked government to probe how compensation of people affected by the tarmacking of Kashenyi-Mitooma road was done by Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).
Angry residents accuse UNRA of under valuing some of their property and even affecting some that was never compensated for.
The residents whose accessibility to their homes has been affected by road works also asked government to hold UNRA accountable for the destruction of property destroyed during road works carried out on peoples land irrespective of whether paid for or not.
Kakumo Perez who claim that he was not compensated for the land vowed to use all legal means to protect his property and also recover what he claim was lost during the process of road construction works.
Kanyima Nathan another affected resident says that UNRA removed the pegs, changed the design and deliberately encroached on his land without taking into account compensation of the property that would be affected.
Misango KagurusiI also a resident alleged that UNRA officials were compromised to change road design a reason they asked police to guard them as they worked on the contested land.
However, Hussein Nuwagaba the OC Mitoma police station said Polices presence at the road works is to keep law and order because kakumu had threatened to kill people if his land is affected before he is compensated
Charles Kalinaki the resident engineer supervising the construction of 11.52 km road project said that Kakumo does not have valid claim against UNRA for encroachment.
The engineer noted that Kakumo who was earlier compensated, wanted a compensation for the entire home even before road works begins.
He refuted claims that UNRA took extra land after allegedly making sudden change of road design saying that such changes have never been made and insisted that all the ongoing road works are within the 30 metres corridor acquired by the land acquisition team.
Out of the 647 persons affected by Kashenyi-Mitooma road works, only 598 have been compensated. The project which is funded by the government of Uganda at cost of Shs 49 billion commenced on January 2017 and will be completed on January 16, 2019.

Source: www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
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