BY ZALIMON BASIGHALHA (GOOD LUCK)
Guma & Co. Advocates, a law firm based in Kasese district has threatened to sue the Government of Uganda over its alleged failure to compensate about 20,000 people who were affected by the Community Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement Program –CAIIP.
CAIIP, a project that was under the Ministry of Local Government was initiated by the Government of Uganda in 2007 with an aim of improving rural agricultural infrastructure through the rehabilitation of district feeder and community access roads that link farmers to functional markets.
In Kasese district, the project started in 2014 with some sub-counties of Bwesumbu (12.7 km), Buhuhira, Rukoki, Kilembe (11.8 km), Mbunga (21.5 km), Kitabu, Kyarumba (10.9km) and Nyakiyumbu (15.5km) benefiting from the program.
Some of the roads that were constructed included a 15.8 km Katiri-Kibandama – Kaburara and Mbunga – Nyakazinga – Karongo among others.
While addressing the press yesterday at his boardroom in Kasese town, the Administrator for Guma & Co. Advocates, Mr. Winnie Bwambale, revealed that on January 09, 2024, his law firm received complaints from affected persons in the sub-counties where the project was implemented demanding government to expedite the process of compensating them.
According to Bwambale, all the 20,000 affected persons had their houses and some plots of land damaged by the project but have never been compensated by the Government of Uganda.
He told the press that after listening to complaints from the affected persons, they decided to visit the affected areas to ascertain the magnitude of the problem and subsequently agreed that Government of Uganda should compensate the victims and their families with at least shillings 500 billion.
He also noted that during their survey, they observed that all the roads that were constructed with an aim of easing the transportation of agricultural produce to the market centres were in a sorry state and could no longer meet the needs of the people.
ENDS
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