Kampala- The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has warned all owners of structures and other property within the road reserve of the old Entebbe road to start vacating before the demolition exercise commences.
The roads authority’s head of enforcements, Mr John Bosco Ssejemba, yesterday said clear mark stones were erected several years ago indicating points where no further development should take place but have been violated. He said UNRA has been monitoring and updating them.
“Entebbe Road is our project. We have educated and held numerous engagements with the encroachers so we shall soon be moving into action,” Mr Ssejemba said.
He said the demolition exercise will also be extended to other major roads across the country, whose reserves have all been encroached upon.
Those to be affected fall within the 40km corridor from Clock Tower through Kibuye to Kajjansi where new Entebbe Expressway connects and from Kajjansi towards Entebbe airport.
Meanwhile, the roads body’s enforcement arm aided by police and UPDF yesterday razed structures within the proposed right of way of the Kampala-Northern Bypass. The demolition started around Ntinda suburb, through Naalya and other nearby areas.
Mr Ssejemba said encroachers on the Northern Bypass were paid months back but refused to leave. “We even continued engaging and educating them but some land owners instead sold their property to other people,” he added.
One of the affected residents from Naalya, Ms Madina Nalwanga, blamed UNRA for the impromptu demolition, saying they had requested for more time to the vacate area.
However, Mr Ssejemba said their timeline was being affected besides incurring extra fees for “idle equipment” for each day that passes at sections which are supposed to be handed over by UNRA.
The background
Construction of the second phase of the Northern Bypass was to take only 36 months timeframe, but 18 months into the project, the contractors, Mota-Engil, Engenharia SA, stopped work in some sections, pending settlement of land issues.
The European Union, which is providing Shs246b for the project, had on numerous occasions raised the red flag about the delays.
The old UNRA management had hired Mott MacDonald, a consulting firm to implement the Resettlement Action Plan–compensating all land/property owners in the proposed right of way. About 800 people were affected.
Some were compensated earlier during the first phase of constructing the 17.5km single carriageway and 3.5km of dual carriageway between Hoima and Gayaza roads but more developments cropped up in the areas that were earmarked.
Construction of phase II of the dual carriageway stretches from Bweyogerere through Naalya, Kiwatule, Kulambiro, Kigoowa Bukoto, Mulago, Bwaise, Kawaala and Namungoona, but has been moving at a snail pace since flagging off of the project in February last year.
The expansion includes removing all roundabouts and replacing them with flyovers at Kalerwe, Busega, Ntinda, Kisaasi and Namungoona/Lubigi area and the addition of two more other lanes.
0 comments:
Post a Comment