The Kampala District Land Board has gained possession of four plots of Owino/St Balikuddembe Market.
The land in question comprises plots 24, M34, 20A-22A, and M77B Nakivubo place. It was leased to St Balikudembe Market Stalls, Space and Lockup Shop Owners Association Limited- SSLOA in 2010, after a directive by President Yoweri Museveni.
Repossession of the land follows the land registration re-entry made by the commissioner of land registration in the Ministry of Land.
According to a letter dated July 18th 2022, from the commissioner land registration to St Balikudembe Market Stalls, Space and Lockup Shop Owners Association ltd (SSLOA) , the re-entry was effected on July 18, 2022, after more than three years of failed leasehold cancellation.
“This is to notify you that the office of the titles has noted a re-entry vide instrument No. KCCA-00094259 of 15/07/2022 on the above certificate of title following an application by KDLB for Re-entry for having breached the clauses of the lease agreement” reads part of the letter.
In the letter, the commissioner also requested SSLOA to return the duplicate title certificates which are still in its custody within seven days.
Whereas SSLOA had not yet developed the land, in October 2018, President Museveni made a U-turn and directed that market ownership revert to local government, and this warranted the lease to be recalled, but the process of notification of the re-entry had stalled at the commissioner land registration, until early this month when the President directed the Minister for Land to immediately effect the re-entry.
According to documents from the Ministry of Lands, Kampala District Land Board advised the Minister of Lands that the re-entry of the titles doesn’t attract any compensation to SSLOA because the government and the company are already working out payment terms of a sum of 17.5 billion shillings.
“It is important to note that when SSLOA secured the lease above from KDLB, SSLOA filed a suit against KCCA in which it claimed compensation in the sum of 11.1 billion shillings including the 4.2 billion paid as premium and ground rent since KCCA failed to sublease Owino market land to SSLOA as per the terms of the lease offer.” Reads part of the document.
Although lease holdings for the four plots have been re-entered, plot 77B which is on a 99-year full-term lease is not yet canceled, but the land board wants it canceled so that it gains control of the entire market acreage.
Management of St Balikudembe Market Stalls, Space, and Lockup Shop Owners Association is yet to respond to the land board.
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