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Ssemujju Nganda
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KIIRA MUNICIPALITY
Kira Municipality Member of Parliament (MP), Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, was roughed up by security forces while attempting to hold a meeting with residents of Kasokoso in Nakawa Division, Kampala.
The meeting, which included Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Ronald Balimwezo (Nakawa East MP), and Betty Ethel Naluyima (Wakiso District Woman MP), was allegedly aimed at discussing plans to brief residents on the impending evictions in the area. Ssemujju, described how he was forcibly arrested and driven back to his home, effectively foiling the planned meeting with residents. He said the meeting was intended to address threats from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and discuss the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Southern Bypass project. The project has seen beneficiaries remain uncompensated for the past 14 years, despite ongoing evictions, according to Ssemujju.
“The meeting was disrupted by police and the military, who were deployed to thwart the proceedings. I have a right as the area MP. I don’t need permission from the police to speak to my constituents,” Ssemujju stated.
“The residents of Kasokoso have been facing significant challenges with the impending evictions, and the meeting was seen as a crucial platform to voice their concerns and seek solutions,” Ssemujju said.
Balimwezo said the issue of eviction has been a thorn in the flesh of the residents, who he said were living under uncertainty. “People are living in fear and yet no one is telling them what is going on. Many of them were promised compensation, but up to now, neither UNRA nor NEMA has gone there to tell people what is going on. So, as area members of Parliament, we decided to have a joint meeting and inform them of what is happening since this matter is constantly being discussed in Parliament,” Balimwezo said.
To ensure that the meeting was peaceful, Balimwezo said it was organized inside a hall at Kasokoso Beach. However, he said before they could gather and address the residents, police ordered them to leave the place. “We tried to resist, but the police were determined to arrest us. I and the Lord Mayor decided to walk away for the sake of peace and get back into our cars,” he said.
He said police deployed heavily in the area from 3:00 am, and by 9:00 am, the area was flooded with police and military personnel.
Balimwezo
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango confirmed that police thwarted the meeting, picked up Ssemujju, and escorted the legislator home. He said six people were arrested for inciting violence.
When contacted, NEMA spokesperson William Lubuulwa denied having direct knowledge of roughing up Ssemujju but revealed that they wrote to a number of communities in the area about an impending visit by the authority (NEMA) whose intention is to assess, map, and profile all those who encroached on wetlands.
“We had a few challenges and delayed our visit. As a result, we shall reschedule and notify the communities, including the leaders, especially the LC1 chairpersons,” Lubuulwa said.
Sh3.6 Trillion Project
The resettlement impact of the construction of the $1.1b (sh3.6 trillion) Kampala-Jinja Expressway is expected to be massive, according to officials from UNRA. Over sh300b is required for compensation for the project. Pedestrians, slow-moving vehicles, and those with powered wheelchairs will not be allowed to use this high-speed expressway once it is completed. The 95km road will comprise two distinct sections: the Kampala-Jinja mainline (77km) and the Kampala Southern Bypass (18km). The Kampala-Jinja section will start at Shoprite, Lugogo Nakawa Division, go through Kyambogo where it turns into Kinawataka and Kasokoso, Namanve, and Mukono, and end at the new Jinja Bridge in Njeru.
In July 2014, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) allocated $74m (sh271b) in funding towards the development. The International Finance Corporation is the lead transaction advisor for the project.
