MANAFWA TO LOSE A 12.7 BILLION UG SHILLINGS WATER PROJECT Manafwa. Manafwa district officials have up to one week to find alternative land for the construction of a water treatment center or risk losing a Shs 12.7 billion gravity flow water project, Water and environment minister Prof Empraim Kamuntu has said. Prof Kamuntu who was in the district to inspect the works on Ririma river gravity flow scheme on Thursday discovered that the owners of the 0.767 hectares of land on which tanks for water treatment were to be built had rejected a Shs 28 million buy out of their land, insisting that government pays them a billion shillings. In a meeting between the minister, district officials, contractors and land owners at Magale Catholic Church board room, land owners led by Mr Dison Wandulu accused government of using excessive force through its agents and security operatives to kick them off their land saying the decision to implement the project is oppressive, arbitrary and rightly illegal. After three ours of discussion, Mr Wandulu and his colleagues said that the Shs 75 million provided to them as an alternarive compensation instead of Shs 28 million as suggested by the government valuer was still too little insisting that government pays them Shs 250 million if they are to vacate the land to pave way for the construction. But Prof Kamuntu who looked irritated by the level of adamancy of the landlords’ explained that there are many districts in need of safe water and that he would transfer the project to an alternative district where it is needed. “I have done it before and I think I can do it again. Residents of Bulusambu in Mbale district rejected a Shs 50 billion project to build a water resorvor and I took it to Tororo where it was welcomed, like wise I will take this one to Nakapiririti district whose leaders have asked for it,” Prof Kamuntu said. Prof Kamuntu blamed the district team lead by district chairperson Mr Charles Walimbwa for failing to sensitize the land owners on the importance of the project whose implementation is behind schedule by 14 months due to this land disagreement. Mr Joseph Orono Eyatu, the assistant commissioner of rural water supply pledged to work with the district team to liaise with Uganda Wildlife Authority [UWA] to provide them an alternative land in Mt Elgon Forest reserve to build the water treatment centre and avoid losing the project to another district. Manafwa RDC Mr Moses Wamoto warned that politics of intrigue in the district would lead to the loss of more valuable projects if the leaders failed to prioritize service delivery as the essence of development. David Kazungu Correspondent at Nation Media Group
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:53:41 +0000
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