No payoffs over Mutukula roadworks, says minister

The government has clarified it will not compensate people when rehabilitating   and expanding the Masaka-Kyotera-Mutukula highway.
Developers on the highway have in the last three years been erecting both commercial and residential buildings within the demarcated route of the project in anticipation of hefty compensation packages from the government.

But according to Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, the minister of Works and Transport, the planned roadworks will be within the existing road reserve, and whoever will be affected by the project will be viewed as an encroacher.
“We have started re-designing the route to eliminate sharp bends in anticipation of starting construction soon,” he said during a telephone interview at the weekend.
“We will use the current road reserve and no encroacher will be paid for the loss,” Gen Katumba added.

He said only a few residents with structures outside of the road reserve to be affected by the revised road design could be considered for compensation.
“The ministry will only compensate those affected by the new design, which is focused at avoiding sharp bends,” he added
Structures belonging to close to 2,000 residents located within the road reserve are already marked with an X.
The rehabilitation project will be funded by an African Development Bank grant under the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility.
 The minister also dismissed reports that the  highway will be expanded to four lanes. ”…if it is expanded to four lanes, many structures and development projects will be affected, damaging the local economy yet we don’t have money for compensation,” he said.

Gen Wamala’s pronouncement contradicts earlier statements made by several government officials, including those from Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) , who promised compensation to all those with structures within the road reserve.
Ms Florence Nakasiita, a resident of Bulinda Village in Kalisizo Town Council, is among the   people whose buildings were marked with an X and are set for demolition.

‘’When our houses were marked with an X, we were promised compensation to relocate to other areas, I am surprised that the government is backtracking on their earlier promise, ‘’ Ms Nakasiita said.
 Mr Joseph Kagame, the councillor representing Kalisizo Sub-county, said many residents had abandoned all their economic activities which were taking place in the demarcated route, something that has adversely affected their household incomes.
Background
According to government‘s plan, the 96-kilometer Masaka –Kyotera- Mutukula highway will be  expanded to a single carriageway of 11m wide and in Kyotera Town, the engineers will  include a parking lane of 3  metres. The project is is being built with the goal of increasing commercial connections and collaboration between Uganda and Tanzania.