Hoima district chairperson Kadir Kirungi has blocked attempts by the municipality to take over the ownership of Hoima Boma Grounds.
The ground that seats on a four-acre piece of land located opposite the Hoima Referral Hospital in Hoima town. It is the only place for hosting sporting activities and public functions across the district. Today, it is used by close to 100 primary schools and football clubs for different competitions.
There has been ongoing bickering between the two administrative units stemming from the failure by the district to surrender the title for the land hosting the ground.
Recently the Municipal authorities demanded that the district hands over the title, to pave way for the construction of a 6.5 billion Shillings mini-stadium funded under phase three of the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program.
According to Mary Grace Mugasa, the Hoima Municipal Mayor, failure by the district leadership to hand over the title to the Municipal authorities is frustrating the project, yet they know that possession of the land title is a precondition by the World Bank, before the implementation of the Project.
The Municipality claims that despite paying 156 million Shillings to compensate for the costs incurred by the district in processing the title for the ground, the district has declined to submit the title to the municipal council under whose authority, Boma Ground falls.
Now Kadir Kirungi, the Hoima LCV Chairperson has come out openly to reject any attempt by the district to hand over the title to the Municipal authorities saying it is a property of the district, not the Municipality. He questioned the manner in which the Municipal authorities are asking for the title.
Kirungi says the Municipal Council should sign a memorandum of Understanding with the district on how the land can be utilized.
According to Kadir, there are top officials at the Municipality who illegally acquired plots around Hoima Boma grounds without the consent of the district and are now pushing the district to surrender the land title so that they can develop their plots.
KKCR has established that the ground’s land title was processed by the district before Hoima town council was elevated to a municipality in 2010.
Godfrey Azoora, the Bujura ward Councillor in Bujumbura division calls on the two administrative units to reach a mutual understanding without frustrating the development projects, planned to take place on the land in question.
Iddi Magezi, the Bwikya ward Councillor demands that the two political heads put aside their personal differences to ensure that the title is released for the project to start.
Once complete, the mini-stadium will have cafeterias, gardens, modern courts for volleyball, tennis and basketball as government moves to elevate Hoima from a municipality to an Oil City Status.
The News Editor ,Reporter at Kagadi Kibaale community Radio
