Bobi decries demolishing of houses ahead of summit

The president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has criticised government for demolishing people’s buildings on roads to be used as the country hosts the Non-Aligned Movement  (NAM) summit.

Addressing the media at NUP headquarters in Kampala on January 15, Mr Kyagulanyi said he has reports indicating that more than 3,000 business premises have been demolished, especially in Makindye Division.

Since the end of last year and during the first weeks of this year, government through Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and the official NAM summit organising committee have been working day and night to spruce up the capital city in preparation for both NAM and G77 + China conferences.

As part of the preparations, KCCA demolished a number of roadside businesses on the major roads, particularly Kampala-Ggaba, Kibuli and Lukuli roads. 

Equally, residents on the same roads were also forced to either renovate their buildings or close them, while more than 200 people in Kitalanga Zone of Makindye were left homeless as KCCA allegedly demolished their admittedly unplanned houses to widen a drainage channel.

“In a well governed country, international conferences like the NAM summit would be a blessing because it would bring more foreign exchange, therefore more businesses for the locals, but in Uganda’s case what was supposed to be a blessing has turned out to be curse like it was during the Chogm times,” Mr Kyagulanyi said referring to 2007 Commonwealth heads of state meeting in Kampala.

“All in the name of preparing for the summits so many lives have been disrupted and some have been completely destroyed as government tries to put up a fake image to the visitors. Many people, especially the homeless people in Kampala, have been detained and traffic flow has become a nightmare, putting the lives of the citizens at a standstill,” he added.

“By embarking on the last minute infrastructure development like fixing roads, the government is creating a rosy picture to the international visitors that are attending the summit at the expense of suffering Ugandans,” he said, adding: “The situation is not as rosy as the government is trying to portray…”

At least 1, 500 delegates, including several heads of State, are expected to attend the NAM conference that started yesterday and will run up to January 23, at Speke Resort Convention Centre in Munyonyo.

Meanwhile, the NUP spokesperson, who also doubles as the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, condemned attempt by persons said to be police officers to forcefully break into their party offices on Saturday evening. Mr Ssenyonyi said yesterday the party will soon be petitioning the Inspector General of Police in protest.

However, the deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, told Monitor yesterday that the police has not received any reports regarding the alleged attempt to break into NUP offices in Makerere Kavule, Kawempe Division of Kampala.