WHO IS PROTECTING ILLEGAL BUILDERS? Mbarara Lock-Ups Erected Overnight in Road Reserves as Physical Planning Officials Face Tough Questions
One of the lockups under construction before in Kijungu opposite Shukuran
Mbarara
Mbarara City authorities are facing fresh questions over the mushrooming of illegal structures, with local leaders accusing physical planning and enforcement officials of turning a blind eye as buildings reportedly go up overnight without approved plans.
The concerns have emerged only months after the city embarked on a crackdown against businesses and structures operating in violation of city regulations, raising questions about whether the enforcement drive has lost steam.
The latest complaints are concentrated in Kijungu-Nyamityobora in Mbarara City South Division, an area already notorious for its crowded settlements and slum-like conditions.
Local leaders and residents claim some developers have resorted to constructing structures at night, allegedly taking advantage of periods when senior city officials are away from the city.
One of the structures at the centre of the controversy is a lock-up reportedly constructed in a single night recently in Kijungu, opposite Shukuran, near the weekly market area.
The structure is allegedly owned by a businessman identified as Shaban, who reportedly intends to use it as a butchery.
Local sources further allege that the structure sits within a road reserve, potentially complicating future plans to expand or improve the road network in the area.
The latest structure is reportedly part of a growing cluster of lock-ups in the same area. Other structures allegedly put up earlier this year have since been joined together, creating a row of about five lock-ups owned by different individuals, which local leaders say were constructed without approved building plans.
The developments have triggered allegations of possible collusion between some structure owners, enforcement personnel and officials in the physical planning department.
Although the allegations have not been independently established, local leaders insist the rapid appearance of the structures should have attracted the attention of city enforcement authorities.
They question how structures can be erected, sometimes reportedly within hours, without the responsible authorities noticing or intervening.
The complaints come at a time when the city is under pressure to control unplanned development, particularly in densely populated areas where buildings are increasingly encroaching on roads and other public spaces.
Barnabus Amwine Mugabi, councillor representing Nyamityobora 2 in Mbarara City South Division, said the situation could turn Kijungu and neighbouring areas into even bigger slums if authorities fail to act.
Mugabi said some developers are constructing without approved plans, while others are allegedly occupying road reserves and narrowing or completely blocking access roads.
He warned that recovering the affected road reserves in future could prove extremely difficult and expensive, particularly if compensation claims emerge after the city begins road construction.
According to Mugabi, some developers deliberately target road reserves, allegedly hoping that they will eventually demand compensation when government or the city seeks to reclaim the land for infrastructure projects.
He confirmed that some of the illegal structures are reportedly being erected at night, making it difficult to understand how they can be completed without the knowledge of city authorities responsible for physical planning and enforcement.
Mugabi appealed to physical planning officials at both the division and city levels to urgently intervene before the situation gets out of control.
He warned that failure to stop the developments now could leave the city with a much bigger planning crisis in the coming years.
Kijungu is not the only part of Mbarara grappling with unplanned settlements. Other areas identified as having significant slum-like developments include Kisenyi, Byafura, Katete and Kiswahili, among others.
The latest allegations have also raised questions about the capacity of the city’s physical planning department to enforce development controls at a time when some of its senior officials have themselves come under scrutiny.
The Mbarara City Physical Planner, Carol Owarugaba, is reportedly on interdiction following the corruption crackdown associated with Minister Baram Barugahara, further adding to questions about the current state of the city’s planning enforcement system.
When contacted, a physical planner identified as Miracle, who handles Mbarara City South Division, said he was not aware of structures allegedly being constructed at night without building plans.
Miracle, however, declined to discuss the matter with the media, saying he would first require permission from his boss, the Town Clerk.
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