Obed Kankiriho
The Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Water and Environment is hunting for over 60 billion shillings to settle 168 cases outside courts of law as a result of failing to compensate people on whose land the ministry-built water reservoir tanks across the country.
This has today been revealed by Isaac Kawonawo, senior sociologist in ministry of water and environment during a press briefing with journalists at white horse inn hotel in Kabale municipality while on his familiarization tour in Kabale district.
Kawonawo says that compensation and land acquisition are the major challenges hindering the ministry and that the government apparently doesn’t have money for compensation.
He revealed that the ministry has on several occasions lost donor funded projects due to complex processes of acquiring land
Kawonawo said the policy recommends a disturbance fee but not compensation fee.
He asserted that the government would now be hunting for 8 billion shillings as part of the disturbance fee, but since there are pending court cases it may require more than 60 billion shillings for Compensation.
Currently in Uganda, the Safety of water is at 68 percent and Kawonawo hopes for it to increase to 90 percent in the next two years.