30 dilapidated buildings in Kabale face demolition
Some of the buildings on Kabale Main Street in Kable Town that face demolition. PHOTO/ROBERT MUHEREZA
What you need to know:
- Authorities say the owner of the structures have failed to present new building plans.
Authorities in Kabale Municipality have resolved to seek a court order to demolish more than 30 dilapidated buildings on Kabale Main Street after owners refused to adhere to municipal directives on structural plans.
Kabale is among the districts lined up for a city status in 2026.
According to the new guidelines, building owners are mandated to construct three-storey structures .
The municipality mayor, Mr Byamugisha Sentaro, on Friday said they have already constituted a team of technocrats to list all the dilapidated commercial buildings on the street whose lease expired.
“The owners were required to present building plans and to date, they have not presented them,” Mr Byamugisha said.
He also said plans are underway to purchase land to construct sewerage lagoons so that all the commercial buildings on the street can be connected to the main National Water and Sewerage Corporation line.
“Dozens of commercial buildings on the street are not connected on the National Water and Sewerage Corporation sewer line because they are on a lower gradient and cannot dispose of their waste to the existing lagoons in Kigongi Ward,” Mr Byamugisha added.
However, some owners of commercial buildings said they may not be able to construct the required buildings due the economic hardships while others say it may not be cost effective because many potential traders shifted their business to the newly created districts of Rubanda and Rukiga.
“Constructing a three-storey building on Kabale Main Street requires one to have at least Shs1 billion which is not available because many landlords incurred several losses during Covid-19 lockdown. Tenants refused to pay rental fees claiming that they were not working. Constructing such a building is like wasting money because tenants refuse to rent premises beyond two floors,” Mr Philip Byamukama, a landlord in Kabale Town, said.
Another landlord, Mr Deus Twekwase, said the municipal council authorities should consult landlords on the planned developments instead of demolishing their structures.
The new cities
In April 2020, Parliament approved the creation of 15 new cities in Uganda, in line with Article 179(1) (A) of the Constitution on alteration of boundaries and Section 7 (2a) of the Local Governments Act CAP.243 on declaration of cities.
The cities that started operation effective July 1, 2020 include Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Masaka and Mbale. Others listed to begin in a phased manner include Hoima, Lira, Soroti, Entebbe, Moroto, Nakasongola, and Kabale.
