By Athnus Faith
Legislators were up in arms against each other recently over recommendations by the Presidential Affairs Committee asked Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to compensate businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba Ushs 80 billion in order to repossess city abattoir located along Port Bell road in Kampala.
Amero Susan Vice Chairperson Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee took to the floor of Parliament to present findings of investigations over the impasse between KCCA, Basajjabalaba and the vendors at the abattoir.
It was revealed that the City Abattoir hasn’t been remitting non tax revenue since December 2011 but to make matters worse, KCCA is supposed to compensate Basajjabalaba, the proprietor of Hides and Skin Limited for loss of revenue, a claim KCCA rejected arguing the Authority hasn’t been collecting revenue.
The then Kampala City Council (KCC) that initially managed city abattoir entered in a management agreement with Basajjabalaba for the management of the property for a period of five years commencing on March 1st 2000 and one year into the management contract, the businessman got a sub-lease from KCC for a term of 49 years.
In the agreement, the businessman was supposed to pay Ushs20m monthly including taxes to City Hall.
However, one year into the agreement, on March 4th 2001, the property was subleased to Basajjabalaba at a premium of Ushs600M for 49 years.
Consequently, Bassajabalaba further subleased the property to Dan Kwatampola Katarihwa who allegedly attempted to change the land use from an abattoir into a bus terminal a decision that didn’t go down well with the vendors, forcing the vendors under the umbrella body City Abattoir Traders Development Association (CATDA) to evict both Basajjabalaba and Kwantampola from the city abattoir. Currently, the abattoir is being run by the vendors.
In their findings, Amero told Parliament that reconciliation between Basajjabalaba and KCCA is next to impossible because the later enjoyed powers and protection from the state coupled with the fact that Basajjabalaba informed the Committee that he had lost interest into the management of the city abattoir.
In their recommendations, the Committee advised to have the management of the abattoir to be left to the management of the traders and Government buys off the interest of Basjjabalaba.
The Committee report shifted the blame of Basajja’s failure to comply with the terms of lease agreement on by KCCA, due to its failure to guarantee possession.
“The conditions imposed by the sub-lease could only be implementable if only Basajjabalaba had retained possession. Basajjabalaba was denied the right possession of the premises and KCCA took no positive action to cause the eviction of the traders thus owing to the dispute of the various conflicting parties because they didn’t realize the anticipated revenue,” the Committee read in part.
During the Committee’s field visit, the Legislators found that the abattoir was operating in grossly unhygienic environment with KCCA confessing that it had become impossible for its Public Health officers to supervise.
The report noted that although the vendors allow meat inspectors to visit the area and carry out their duties due to the fact that meat can’t be sold anywhere without KCCA’s approval, the reverse is true when it comes to the issue of public health.
“Failure by KCCA Public Health officers to supervise the hygiene of the place left the Committee wondering whether meat isn’t contaminated and therefore unfit for human consumption,” Amero read from the report.
In its conclusion, the report called for immediate compensation to the businessman stating; “It is also recommended that KCCA with immediate effect should earmark funds. It would be unfair for a nation with a policy of promoting local content to turn around and frustrate her local entrepreneurs. It is incumbent upon Government to compensate Basajjabala fairly and have the thousands of vendors’ interest in the facility protected.”
MPs Reject Report
The suggestion by Committee to have KCCA compensate Basajjabalaba angered Legislators with many calling upon Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to reject the report and have the matter investigated by another Committee.
The situation got tense when bribery allegations started making rounds, with one MP accusing members of the Committee of having been compromised.
“The report acknowledges that this land belongs to Buganda Land Board, and KCCA as a tenant was only a lease holder so what KCCA did was to sublease, its own lease. Nowhere in the report about the said transactions of land between KCCA and Bassajabalaba do we have any evidence of consent of the land lord and I believe it is important for a mailo land owner has to have consent over any transactions regarding subleasing over his/her land,” Moses Kasibante (Rubaga Divison North)
“There are two people, one still a member of this Parliament who lost their ministerial positions over Ushs165b compensations to Basajjabalaba. This Parliament was very angry and it forced the two colleagues Saida Bumba and Kiddu Makubuya to resign. I think people who will read this report will be shocked that the same Parliament that was hunting down Basajjabala for taking our money, now is very sympathetic-says you give him more and I am aware he has asked for Shs80b. This Committee report is actually to give KCCA clearance” Ssemujju Nganda (Kiira Municipality)
Moses Ali (First Deputy Prime Minister)
We are all concerned about corruption in the country. I appreciate MPs’ contribution and I only disagree with him and everybody who comes in this House and contributes and comes out and brands all MPs as being compromised without mentioning who particularly was compromised.
Our face is tainted. We are international MPs, this House is known internationally and we are live on air. So whatever is said here is heard and somebody utters here that MPs are compromised which means without asking him to substantiate then we stand compromised which isn’t the case.
This isn’t the best way of fighting corruption. You can’t fight corruption by branding everybody. That is making fighting corruption even more complicated.