Back off Kamukuzi Land-MP Rukaari to Mbarara District Leaders

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

The war between Mbarara District Leaders and Mbarara City North Constituency Legislator Robert Mwesigwa Rukaari is not about to end as land matters at Kamukuzi hill escalate, particularly the land where Rukaari’s Ankore Garden Mall and AMPROC INC are occupied.
Following the recent decision made by the Mbarara District council ordering MP Rukaari and Bishop Silas Tayebwa of King of Kings Church to evict from the District lands after they have allegedly failed to pay rent arrears to Mbarara District, MP Rukaari has rubbished the decision, citing the District leaders headed by the Chairman Didas Tabaro to be thieves and confused.
He said that he applied for the land lease of 49 years and the agreement was signed with the District at UGX 1.49billion.
According to the decision taken by the council in a recent council meeting, the Vice Chairperson Juliet Nabakooza, revealed that MP Rukaari has been the tenant on the district land but his lease process was overturned and terminated on reasons related to defaulting. She revealed that the process to evict Rukaari out of that land is already made.

“We tried as leaders to meet Rukaari to discuss with him on matters related to the land he rents but he never responded, we want Rukaari out of the District land so that it goes back to the District control for other purposes,” said Nabakoza, the Mbarara District Vice Chairman.
While meeting the Journalists recently, MP Rukaari also vowed that he will never leave the said land until his lease expires
“I have heard that Mbarara District Council Leaders have made a resolution that intends to evict me and Bishop Silas Tayebwa from the land we are occupying in Kamukuzi. These people are just confused. I want to inform them that by constitution, any public land is owned by Ugandans and any Ugandan has a right to apply for it, but the only difference is where leaders collude to give it to individuals wrongly, otherwise you have the mandate as long as you a Ugandan to apply for the public land. If Bishop Silas Tayebwa apply for the land where he has been a tenant for a long time, government has to give it to him but because of corruption in Mbarara District Leadership they have not done the needful, but for as long as Iam still the MP of Mbarara City North, no one will evict Bishop Tayebwa’s King of Kings Church from that land,” said Rukaari, MP Mbarara City North

“Recently, a group of Councilors from Mbarara District went to my Mall and started to threaten me on how they wanted to evict me. This Mall was opened by President Museven in 2013 and he asked me how I obtained this land, I explained to him that I applied for it from the District. These people are confused, they should know that we signed with them an agreement of Shs 1.49b. We agreed that I first pay them Shs 200M so that they process for me the lease of 49 years and we also agreed that in eight months I should pay them the balance. Unfortunately, I paid them excess of Sh200m but up to date I have never received the balance, why shouldn’t I call them thieves. No one will evict Rukaari from that land. I am always quiet and because of that behavior some people have chosen to step on it and overlook me, but this time they must see my true colours,” he added.

Mbarara District has a number of pieces of land rented to Individuals and other institutions. Rukaari revealed that some leaders connived with a group of technocrats and sold some lands illegally.