Five years on, Panyimur residents still want Shs1.2b compensation

For five years now, communities affected by Uganda National Roads Authority’s (UNRA) construction of an office block at a ferry docking site in Panyimur Sub-county in Pakwach District are still demanding compensation.

Over 30 affected communities seek Shs1.2 billion from UNRA, noting that they had to relocate from the 2-acre piece of land to pave way for the docking site in 2019.

Residents said they were ordered not to renovate or build new houses on the land, yet they have not been paid to move to new places.

Rwanga Cell chairman Moses Orombi told Monitorthat the delay in compensating the affected persons has caused untold suffering and some locals have died without receiving their benefits.  

“Ever since UNRA extended their mark stones for their new proposed extension of offices inside on our lands in 2019, they have not updated us on what is going on regarding compensations. And people are concerned and desperate,” Orombi said.

He said affected persons had spent more than Shs5million -since 2019- moving to UNRA headquarters in Kampala chasing for the payments but with no yield.

Rwanga Cell resident Charles Lemarach, whose businesses were fenced off by the project, said he is demanding Shs200million for damage caused to his enterprises.

When contacted, UNRA spokesperson Allan Ssempebwa said the delay in the compensation was caused by lack of finances.

“We have assessed the affected persons and surveyed the land, valued it and the list of the affected persons for compensation has been entered on the compensation list database of UNRA. We will kick start the compensation in the next financial year. So, the community should be calm,” Ssempebwa said.    

The Pakwach District chairperson Robert Omito said: “UNRA must speed up the compensation because the community has nowhere to go, and the compensation would open ways to buy other land for relocation.”