To
Professor Balibaseka Bukenya Professor Nsibambi Apollo Professor Kiddu Makubuya Hon. Omara Atubo Mr. Mayanja Nkanji Joswa Our Towns, Africans & Our Ways There are two articles, both appearing in the New Vision in a space of a week. One written by former conservative party leader, NRM Economic Planning and Finance Minister, Buganda Prime Minister, Attorney General and currently Uganda Land Commission chairman Mayanja Nkanji Joswa. The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Omara Atubo wrote another article. Mayanjas article appeared in Julys week 30 and Atubos article in week 32. The articles are a violation of the Town and Country Planning and Public Health Acts and other laws. The articles are circuses and absurdities, defending allocation of land and justifying government acts, which is politically all right for the authors and professionally, morally and ethically, erroneous and silly to the public. The two government officials widely refer to the land act. However, laws do not work in isolation of other laws hence The Uganda Land Act Rev. Ed. 2000, under the Functions of the Commission Sec. 49 clause (d) states clearly; PERFORM SUCH OTHER FUNCTIONS AS MAY BE PRESCRIBED BY OR UNDER THIS ACT OR ANY OTHER ENACTMENT. That clause, gives the above authorities including the two officials, sweeping powers to call on the other laws including cancellation of illegal allocation of land including its misuse. Other laws are; the road act, water act, local government act, forest act, NEMA regulation and statute, building regulations, town and country planning act, criminal laws etc. Bye way the above laws are not considered in any of the injudicious allocation of land some of, which was offered to Uganda government by the Buganda Kingdom for PROPER USE. I therefore, challenge Mr. Atubo and Mayanja lawyers by profession, instead of writing rudimentary and biased articles in the national media to mislead the public, to instead point to studies including; HYDROLOGICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL, HEALTH & SANITARY, TRAFFIC FOLLOW STUDIES & NETWORK, ECONOMICAL, UTILITY PLACEMENT, AESTHETICAL, LANDSCAPE, DEMOGRAPHICAL, ARCHITECTURAL, INFRASTRUCTURAL, ENGINEERING, ECOLOGICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL, TOPOLOGICAL etc, that were made in regard to allocation of land for the establishment of the following premises; a. Garden City placement b. Hilton Hotel localisation on Nakasero Hill c. ShopRite Game placement at Lugogo d. Relocation of Shimoni TTC and a Primary school e. Allocation of Kitante school land f. Karim Hotel behind Serena Hotel g. Sudir Kabira Club h. Numerous Car Washing bays in Kampala i. Motor garages placement in and around Kampala j. Mukwano soap Industries k. Design and construction of Nakivubo channel l. Battery industry on Luthuli avenue m. Allocation of land on Luthuli avenue the green belt n. A building on the traffic island on Wilson, Johnsson, Ben Kiwanuka streets o. Placement of the State House at Nakasero p. Location of numerous petrol stations in the capital q. Location of the New Taxi park r. Allocation of URC land on Entebbe road s. Buildings in the miniprice corridor and that in the former Local Bus park t. Etc, All the above premises are in total violation of the law reform newly released SANITATION and HOUSING laws page 6118 Cap 281 sec. 55, 57,70,71 and so on. Uganda has A WATER STATURE 22ND DECEMBER 1995. Kampala being a Lake Victoria wetland, anyone draining water must apply for easement rights section 35 (1). All the above named premises do not have permits allowing them to create the buildings on land deemed to contain water resources. Under the RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, Ugandans, have a right to see those respective studies in detail from the institution you lead. Now, that we have an information and communication technology ministry go ahead and append them on the internet. Ive got in my possession, an aerial hydrological study image of GAME shopping department location. If Kampala get higher levels of rainfall as the case was in the past, the facility will have to relocate or the entire Jinja road will have to be redesigned to accommodate water levels from as far as Ntinda, Nakawa and Naguru areas. Alternatively, there will be excavation to realign the entire drainage system including draining subterranean streams and springs flowing underground with devastating consequence on Lake Victoria. Moreover the SOUTHERN BYPASS was designed to start from here that has not been affected for over quarter a century because NRM people built in the road reserve, expecting to cash in on compensation funds! Get data who built expensive buildings in the road corridor. Buganda and Baganda want the government to relocate and leave Buganda alone, we are tired of hypocritical and self- deceptive politicians, destroying and polluting our land. Buganda was well planned today it is a slum. It is totally unacceptable. The British designed the entire Logogo valley area, under the above consideration and made it a facility suitable for sporting activities because of its wetness and soggy clay ground. The other issue was not to pollute water draining into Lake Victoria. Therefore, Lugogo has since been a location for sporting clubs solely for those reasons. Africans soon will start building residences here despite their low technological grasp and control. Foremost, change of use is not given as Mayanja claims or just a word of mouth, for; basic, intermediate and advanced studies both practical and theoretical as outlined above must be done. Infrastructural designs and changes follows before any type of developments take place. Can we assume Makerere and Mulago hospital are also soon to be removed from their locations for investments? Let me give an example; what will be the most appropriate change of use of the Nsambya police barracks? This is an area with a clear view of the city but also near the main railway corridor and goods shade. Given the presence of Nsambya hospital above, the area will be most appropriate for something, which is not a factory; indeed this is not an industrial area. Leaving us with two possibilities developing the area for hotel chain or high value commercial buildings, with shopping and residential facilities above them serving Muyenga and beyond now that we have a major expanding university at Kabalagala the Kampala International University. More so if the Kasese railway line was functional, this being outside the central Kampala district will act as a special tourism one-stop centre. Or simply develop it into a world trade centre connecting to the main train station on Jinja road now also allocated to an investor for a parking lot! Wait and see what is going to happen here Nsambya. But then given to the enormous size of the land, one will have to redesign the road network, sewer lines and other utilities. Nothing of the above was ever done in all the above-mentioned allocated land. None! A reason why Kitante road, is being dug up, soil thrown into the drainage system, to suit developments at garden city, instead of garden city following infrastructural designs. This mind configuration is both interesting and disturbing. I have coined a word for it, fright management or panic management . One plans flooding, traffic congestion, pollution, even life after death has occurred! Deeper down Im now in agreement with certain philosophers, arguing logic is not for us Africans. Yesterday 4th Friday August 2006 most of Kampala came to a stand still, there was extensive drainage failure. Dont mind power rationing is about to end as dirty filthy faeces filled water empties in the Lake Nalubale (Victoria) Our African ways, and other peoples (Asian, Europeans) ways radically differ and from those Mayanja and Atubos articles are clearly unravelled. Notice, when the Asians and Europeans were setting up social and public infrastructures in this country, they used Uganda land efficiently and optimally. They were not extravagant but rather professionally thorough, aesthetically concerned, sociologically and economically focused. Take churches, mosques, temples, radio/tv station, seminaries, and schools for example. Most of this land on which those facilities are placed, was donated but sought after by those people who designed and planned these public utilities and amenities for a reason. Churches, mosques and temples are located on hills for psychological and aesthetical reasons. Psychological in such away that worshipers and believers in their faith need a serene, peaceful and extra large environment to rest their minds. These locations drivers the spiritually inclined, to a feeling of mystery, exactly what religion does offer. In a modern setting, they offer an ideal tourist attraction and as such act as public goods. Ive seen tourist-taking photographs of these gothic buildings of worship. They are simply exotic and intoxicating in the mind and heart. Now, Shimoni demonstration school and a teachers college are being moved fine but on what basis, is the most revealing African mind disposition. Notice too that Nakasero hill down to the golf course into a tertiary treatment and a natural drainage system and a wetland, were turned into, a commercial location now composed of; garden city shopping departments, parking locations, offices and private residences. Yet Katwe is rotting away which indeed will be a prime area for such an investment for both poor and rich. Segregation! If you consider that buildings sometimes have residential facilities one wonders the logic of removing well placed schools that may be, are so strategic placed to serve children of people working into the above buildings. Kitante primary school in due course, will also be removed dont mind that Kololo, Kamwokya, Bukoto, Ntinda, Kisasi, Nagulu ,Kyanjo etc, are over built residential areas. Just imagine for a second, you stay in Ntinda or Makerere working at the garden city. Which place will be appropriate to take a child to, Lugogo by-pass or Shimoni? Just a week ago, a senior planner confided into me that it was okay to move these schools. His was not a speak in confidence utterance but rather a matter of concern for an unsure and scared professional . I gaped and vehemently protested to his delight. My first reaction was to inform the planner, every thing the British designed in the capital city of this country and other towns like Fort Portal, Kabale, Jinja, Gulu, Lira were well thought out and served a purpose. They even made projections, for its not Ugandans, who started demographic studies. As such African Ugandans, dismantling such infrastructures are back to where they were or the Asians and Europeans found them. Take an example of Jinja this town in current state stains the heart into hating Africans and being African. The British and Asians placed schools centrally, basically in the most prominently developed areas in Kampala for example, where residential facilities and as such human settlements. Families will most certainly seek out to the nearest academic institutions for pupils and students. Is it surprising then that Africans build churches in the middle of swamps or near bars and lodges? What type of religion will be taught in such a place? How will a person reflect if not collapse into a glass of Uganda waragi after the summons? Ugandans place schools were there are markets, slums or serious traffic congestion. That is okay. What are the fundamental needs of growing and developing children at schools like Kitante or Shimoni? I am amazed that any properly thinking person can allocate Kitante or Shimoni school land. This is not surprising though for Africans; still believe a city is a place one runs to, to make money, drink and then retire to Katanga, Makerere Kivulu, Katwe, Nakasero, Muyenga or Namuwongo. As a kid, I once had my residence on Jinja road. In fact all the buildings on Jinja road had residential facilities on the upper floors. The schools nearby, served families in the vicinity and as far as Nakasero hill. The British helped Uganda Africans to set up Nakivubo settlement primary school. Africans set up Owino (st. Balikuddembe) market, besides that primary school! Interesting isnt it?!! And when one inspects this very school, a terrible stench, filthy, faeces all over and more a car-washing bay inside the school compound permitted, is amazing. For Ugandans that is quite, a fine environment for the children education and development. Near a filthy noise filled Owino market. All along Nakivubo channel, there were schools and playgrounds set up by Asians and Europeans. The place by its natural futures was suitable i.e. its a waterlogged location suited and served the purpose quite well as a school. Technologically Uganda Africans have not changed much and therefore developments in anywhere havent in any manner met technical concerns. One brings the bricks digs a small trench for foundation and builds a huge so-called shopping department. Intention is to make money only. Uganda Africans have set up filthy markets, taxi parks, even residences in these locations. Virtually all manholes in Kampala are gapping open as all manhole covers have been stolen. This has been done in the past two months! The manholes are now being used as garbage collection that is, if not big enough to act as sleeping corridors for street children. If youre observant enough, you will realise Kampala has a comprehensive underground drainage system combined with what was a comprehensive network for Uganda posts and telecommunications system. Since independence, Africans havent seen a need to build and not in the least bit attempted to study and learn from what was left behind. Thanks be to the genius of Uganda Peoples Congress, who thought out Mbarara University to form a core entity in the spread of University establishments. Those facilities maybe might change the status quo in Arua, Kumi, Luwero, Kabale, and Mukono as these and many other towns try a transformation around those entities. On that basis, Ill never lend my support to people who claim to have liberated this country. Never! Our commitment to resolve Luwero issues through the International Criminal Court will be met, what come may. Buganda placement of palaces and town or kibuga was based on population studies NRM has destroyed completely. Bwanika Nakyesawa Luwero. Bwanika ________ http://www.idrconsulting.com --> for your consultancy needs _______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list Ugandanet@kym.net http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---------------------------------------
