GREEDY BUGANDA SPIRITS: Shock as Kabaka’s Man Demands Shs500m for ‘Special Tree’ Blocking Multi-Billion Expressway

A man loyal to Buganda king has blocked the 23.7km Busega-Mpigi Expressway Project demanding Shs500m for a tree harbouring spirits considered so important for the kingdom. The spirits have reportedly rejected an offer of any amount below Shs500m, leaving the contractor and UNRA stranded.

About the Busega-Mpigi Expressway Project

The expressway project is in fulfilment of Government of Uganda’s transport sector development objectives aimed at enhancing social economic transformation of the country through reducing transport costs, improving efficiency of transporting goods to markets and also enable farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and extension services leading to higher agricultural production.

Covering the Central region districts of Kampala, Wakiso and Mpigi, the Expressway is further expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion on the heavily trafficked Kampala—Mpigi—Masaka road section. The construction of the 4-lane dual carriage Expressway is further anticipated to operationalize and enhance the functionality and effectiveness of the other major road projects namely; the Kampala—Entebbe Expressway and the Kampala Northern Bypass.

It will also provide for service roads like at Nabbingo connecting with the existing Masaka Highway, a link road connecting between Masaka highway at Katende and Mityana highway at Bujjuko, a link road connecting the existing Kampala-Masaka Highway at Lungala, a link road connecting Mpigi Town and a total of 13 bridges.

The project is co-funded with support from the African Development Fund (ADF) and African Development Bank (ADB) and was contracted to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in Joint Venture with China Railway 19th Bureau Group (U) Ltd on 18^th June, 2019 at a contract sum of UGX 547,543,072,124 with a completion timeline of 30 months.

The tree of spirits

But with just a few months to the completion date, the project is at just 15 per cent, according to Eng Ian Bakiza. Roads agency UNRA says one of the reasons for delays is compensation challenges in the sections handed over to the Contractor due to disputes over land ownership, rejection of the approved compensation amounts by certain Project Affected Persons (PAPs), Landlords and Tenants disagreements with regard to consents, failure to acquire required documents for some PAPs to enable UNRA process their compensation, Social and Cultural issues.

The roads authority has cited the case of the Nabukalu ‘cultural tree’ owned by the ‘Lugave’ Clan of Buganda Kingdom. It is being claimed by a one Hussein Katamba who wants Shs500m from UNRA. He has already sued UNRA and the case is in court.

On Wednesday, Works and Transport Minister Gen Edward Katumba Wamala said government was offering Katamba Shs150m for the tree.

“We don’t take land without compensation an example is a tree along Mpigi-Kampala Expressway where one clan says all their spirits are in that one tree. They are asking for Shs500m for it and we cant move. They have been offered 150M and they say it cant appease the spirits,” Katumba Wamala told Parliament.