Kampala. Several properties of departed Asians have been repossessed despite their full compensation by the government, the Committee on Commissions Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has revealed. The sub committee chaired by Ibrahim Kasozi, the Makindye East legislator has been investigating mismanagement of properties left behind by Asians following their expulsion by the late former President Idi Amin Dada.
The committee report indicates that some Asians have reclaimed properties that were fully compensated by the government, while other Asians claim that they weren’t paid. During their investigations, the Committee members found out that some properties that were compensated by the government ended up in the hands of unscrupulous individuals who later transferred them to buyers without notice.
These include among others, plot 66 William Street, Plot 6 Princes Drive Bugolobi, Plot 45 Lake Drive Nakawa-Port bell, Plot 34 Madvhani road Jinja, plot 3 school drive Mbale, Plot 50 High street Mbarara, Plot 16 B Old Kampala Road, Plot 36 Tufnell drive Kampala, Plot 31 Soroti Avenue in Soroti, and Plot 38-44 school road Arua.
Others are plot 19 Nakasero road, Kampala, Plot 6 Entebbe Road Kampala, plot 68/70 Kira road Kampala and plot 21 school road Tororo among others. According to the committee report, there is no legal claim on the properties that were compensated. “A formerly compensated owner who wishes to repossess the property from the government could only do so by first refunding government the full value of compensation before applying to repossess,” says the committee report.
According to the committee, the handover report of the Divestiture Committee of the custodian board of January 2006 further revealed that compensation was still ongoing as the Government had not fixed a deadline for receiving applications for the same. As of December 2005, 119 Asians had been compensated to the tune of Shillings 1.7 billion. The committee also says that all Ugandans of Asian descent who received compensation through the Indian Government or United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have no further claim in Uganda.
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