Five residents, who include Esther Ocepa, Lucy Olong, Milly Apio, and Emily Akii among others, issued a notice of intention to sue to accuse the municipal authorities of trespassing.
Lira Municipal Council has threatened to halt tarmacking of Boundary
Road after a section of residents threatened to sue the municipal authorities
for allegedly trespassing on their land.
The road which stretches from Lango College in Adyel Division to Ngetta Road in
Railways Division will be tarmacked at a cost of 15 billion shillings under the World
Bank Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development- USMID project.
The money will also be used to tarmack other roads and beautify some areas in the municipality.
However, five residents, who include Esther Ocepa, Lucy Olong,
Milly Apio, and Emily Akii among others, issued a notice of intention to sue to
accuse the municipal authorities of trespassing.
They claim that their plots 9, 13, 19 and 32 were encroached on
during the demarcation of boundaries.
Their lawyer Mike Abwang Otim, says that demarcation process was
marred with irregularities meant to change the design of the road which requires
more land for expansion.
He says his clients are now demanding that the first process of
centre lining and pegging of the road be restored and also they get
compensated. They are also demanding 27 million shillings in general damages and another 25 million
shillings as legal fees.
//Cue in “Ikin jo apol…
Cue out: … kede oko con.”//
David Kyasanku, the Town Clerk Lira Municipal Council says that a
section of residents living around the road in Kirombe East and Kirombe West
villages in Adyel division are now resisting the project claiming that the land
being demarcated belongs to them.
He says that they will meet the complainants to resolve the matter
of contention and if they fail to reach a compromise, they will be forced to
transfer the project to another area.
//Cue in: “We are meeting…
Cue out: …they are ready.”//
Lira Municipal Council Engineer, Freddy Owiny says the USMID
project does not have a component of compensation and expressed fear that if
the current disagreement continues, locals could lose the project.
//Cue in: “project me USMID…
Cue out: … me cwalo iye.”//
The other roads that will be tarmacked include Bala Road, Obangakene,
Note Ber and Olwol among others.
