Namutumba youth seek to reclaim historical centre sold to developer

Youth in Namutumba District are out to reclaim a community centre which was allegedly sold by the former district leadership to a private developer to set up a primary school.

The youth community center, initially built in Namutumba Sub-county by the Obote I government, before it became a town council, was primarily to skill the youth, celebrate cultural values, and conduct community meetings, among other roles.

However, 60 years later, the hitherto youth centre opposite Namutumba Town Council headquarters along the Tirinyi-Mbale Highway, is the current address of Wampa Nursery and Primary School allegedly owned by Elizephan Nabongho.

The youth fault former Namutumba LC5 chairpersons and some deceased politicians for allegedly conniving with then councilors to sell their centre to Nabongho.

The accused include former LC5 Chairmen Michael Saire, who is currently the Pader Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), and Denis Balwanirewa, who is now Sironko RDC.

Others are Sarah Kumbuga (deceased), who was the Busiki County Councilor in Iganga District, and Waiswa Mafuko Isabirye (deceased), who was the LC3 Chairperson of Namutumba Sub-county.

Julius Kyandaye, the youth chairperson Namutumba District, demanded to know if it was a council resolution to sell public land and asset to a private developer.

“We want the school owner to produce documents of ownership showing the seller,” he said on Tuesday.

He added: “We know the school proprietors may not be willing to surrender the site because he has a land title on public land but let him build structures where the youth leadership can set up a public library and recreational centre.”

Mubarak Waiswa, a youth, said many of his colleagues, especially those getting Parish Development Model (PDM) money, want to reclaim the centre to learn business skills.

“Most businesses owned by youth who accessed PDM have failed because they lack skills in business selection, while students who used to go to the town council hall to revise were stopped from using it by authorities for no clear reason,” said r Waiswa.

Blame games

John Maka, another youth, said “the right person to explain how a private developer got the land is Saire because he was the first acting Chairperson of Namutumba Town Council.”

Saire refuted saying Wampa Nursery and Primary School is older than Namutumba District Local Government.

“Namutumba became a district during the Financial Year 2006/2007 when the school was already in place, and when Namutumba was called Busiki County then under Iganga District; so, blaming me over something I do not know is wrong,” he said.

He added: “And if it is true that I sold the youth centre, do they (youth) have evidence showing that it was their community centre, including documents implicating me?”

When push came to shove, Saire said David Mukisa, who is the current district chairperson, was the Secretary for Education at the time and “may know how the school came to occupy the community centre.”

Mukisa, too, refuted claims of selling the youth community centre, saying “the process the private developer used to acquire public land remains unknown to past and current district leaders.”

“None of us was involved in the sale of the youth community centre; we assumed office when the school was operational. Nabongho acquired that land when the late Mafuko was the LC3 Chairperson of Greater Namutumba Sub-county, and when Namutumba was still under Iganga District, but we are yet to establish the facts.”

On his part, Balwanirewa said: “Mr Nabongho acquired the land when Namutumba was still a County called Busiki. We were leaders but we cannot tell how the director got the land.”

Efforts to get a comment from Nabongho were futile as his known numbers were not going through. 

Further efforts to reach him on WhatsApp were equally unsuccessful as he did not reply to messages.