Ronald Katende Kinene, the Masaka City Resident Commissioner called in the police to arrest Kigozi after the Roads Committee on inspection tour found several public roads had been blocked by private developers on approval by the Physical Planner.
Martin Kigozi, the Masaka City Physical Planner is in trouble
for allegedly approving the construction of buildings in gazetted road reserves
and greenbelts.
The City Roads Committee alongside the Resident City
Commissioner on Friday evening handed Kigozi to Police to record a statement
over his alleged involvement in the creation of illegal plots and approving construction
plans in road reserves.
Ronald Katende Kinene, the Masaka City Resident Commissioner
called in the police that arrested Kigozi after the Roads Committee while on their
inspection tour found several public roads had been blocked by private
developers on approval by the Physical Planner.
The City Roads Committee Chaired by Doctor Abed Bwanika, the
Member of Parliament for Kimanya-Kabonera Division intercepted a private developer
who was erecting a parameter wall that was partly blocking Nalubaale road.
On being questioned, the developer produced an approved structural
plan from the office of the Physical Planner, which infuriated the committee members
before they instantly called Kigozi to the site to explain the anomaly.
Although Kigozi labored to disassociate himself from the illegal
construction, alleging that the developer was constructing based on an old structural
plan approved in 2011, his explanation instead upset the City Mayor Florence
Namayanja who accused him of double standards.
Namayanja told the committee that the City Physical Planning Committee
and Executive had earlier canceled all construction plans that had been approved
in illegal plots, but to her surprise, Kigozi unscrupulously went against their
decision and allowed some people to proceed with construction.
//Cue in:
“this is not….//
Cue out; ….construction
today,”//
In addition to recording statement to Police, Ronald Kasekende
the Masaka City Resident Commissioner also want the Physical Planner to face
other anti-corruption agencies of either the State House or the Inspector
General of Government. He accuses Kigozi of attempting to dupe the roads committee by
presenting cooked-up structural designs with intentions to fit in the illegal
structures.
//Cue in;
“njagala okiddemu…. //
Cue out; ….saying
the wrong.”//
The committee eventually resolved to halt all ongoing
questionable constructions approved by Kigozi until they undergo verification by
the City Building Review Committee.
The committee also considered petitioning the Ministry of
Public Service to complain about the chronic irregularities presided over by the Physical
Planner, and to demand his removal from Masaka.
However, in his defense, Kigozi argues that the cited
irregularities that include plots in road reserves were created by the former
Masaka District Land Board which he says messed up land management and property
ownership in the town.
He called upon the City Roads Committee to prefer a
comprehensive inquiry into the origin of creating illegal plots in the area
other than piling the entire blame on him alone.
