Nakawa land saga: MPs want minister, officials fired
Persis Namuganza
What you need to know:
- The directive followed the findings by the Ad hoc committee instituted to investigate the controversy that implicated Minister for Lands Persis Namuganza in abuse of office in illegal allocation of land to some investors
Parliament has given the Executive two months to report back to the House with action taken against officials that have been cited in the Nakawa-Naguru land scandal.
“We need a response from government on these recommendations in the first sitting of the next session, we need a treasury memoranda on what has been done in two months,” Speaker of Parliament Anita Among said yesterday.
MPs grill Kamya, Namuganza over giveaway of Naguru land
The directive followed the findings by the Ad hoc committee instituted to investigate the controversy that implicated Minister for Lands Persis Namuganza in abuse of office in illegal allocation of land to some investors.
“Honourable Persis Namuganza be held accountable for abuse of office for misleading ULC (Uganda Land Commission) into allocation of land to individuals and entities following presidential directives which are non-existent,” Mr Dan Kimosho, the committee chair, told the House yesterday..
Parliament also ordered that Ms Barbra Imaryo, the secretary of the ULC, and its commissioners be kicked out of office and thereafter be held liable for the mismanagement and illegal allocations of the Nakawa-Naguru land.
In the report, lawmakers ruled that the said officers vacate office with immediate effect.
Attempts by Ms Anita to give Ms Namuganza an opportunity to defend herself were futile as MPs kept heckling.
The Third Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Rukia Nakadama, promised that government would take action against all parties found guilty.
“The Executive is going to take action on the matter. I think after two months we shall come up with a treasury memorandum. Whoever is found guilty will be held liable,” Ms Nakadama said.
Leader of Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga, however, recommended an overhaul probe into ULC.
“ULC has a very big problem. Just removing an individual is not enough. We need to make an investigation to go to the core. They have given away public land in local government. They have actually participated in defrauding the public,” Mr Mpuuga said.
The committee also recommended that payment of Shs17.7m ex gratia promised to the 1,747 verified tenants be expedited.
But Mr Mpuuga said the amount committed a decade ago should be subjected to a GDP deflector to bring it to current value. The tenants were evicted in 2007 to pave way for an investor.
