| KAMPALA Monitor, 17, 2006 To convert Kitante base into shops THE government has given away another prime city plot as a consolation move after wrongly leasing the Shimon land to two investors. In the move, which according to sources, was on President Yoweri Museveniâs directive, the 13 acres of prime land currently houses the countryâs Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) has
been leased to city tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia. That is the tycoonâs consolation offer after the 15 acre Shimoni plot that he legally owned, was leased to the Saudi Prince Al-waheed without Sudhirâs consent. The scandal, which has sucked in the President and former Lands Minister Kahinda Otafiire, exposes how politics has undermined the process of land acquisition and investment. Frustrated
In an interview with Daily Monitor yesterday the Secretary to the Uganda Land Commission, Mr Ballam Mubbala, resignedly describes the giving away of Shimoni land as âpolitical.â âWe received a directive from our minister to process this Shimoni land for Sudhir and we did that,â said Mubbala. âWhen the government gave that land to the Saudi investor, Sudhir was the rightful owner.â
According the Mubbala, Sudhir wanted to build a multi-billion shopping
complex, a hotel and apartments. He said: âThe Kitante Courts land is principally owned by the government and the government can do anything it wants with it.â Sudhir, one of Ugandaâs most successful businessmen, owns a number of businesses in insurance, banking, hospitality, horticulture and real estate among others. Land given away
According to sources, the Land Commission had given a 49-year lease offer to Sudhir but Museveni then gave the same piece of land to Prince Al-waheed. A State House release two months ago described Prince Al-waheedâs business as a multi-billion 5-star hotel venture aiming at tapping the 2007 Commonwealth summit business. On realising the depth of the scandal, sources say, the President, Otafiire and Sudhir held a meeting in which Museveni decided that Sudhir drops his Shimoni plans for the CMI land. In an
interview at the weekend, Otafiire denied any knowledge on the saga saying he had been out of the country for weeks. But Sudhir (left) confirmed yesterday that he was settling for the CMI land.
âThere were some problems and I had to drop all my plans for the Shimoni land and settle for the CMI land,â the tycoon told Daily Monitor yesterday without elaborating. âThis is one of the things where you cannot get exactly what you want and you have to settle for what is available,â Sudhir said yesterday.
He said he intends to transfer his hotel, shopping complex and apartment plans to the CMI land. The government will now have to find another site to relocate the CMI. The Shimoni land is located on a gentle slop overlooking a multibillion shopping complex, Garden City and also houses a sucessful government Universal Primary Education school. The hitherto CMI occupied 13-acre plot was formerly a doctorsâ housing estate known as Kitante
Courts and was part of the National Referral Hospital, Mulago. The Kitante land overlooks the Uganda Golf Club course. Irregular
Legally, any individual, interested in a land lease applies to the Land Commission where five people, the chairman and four members vet the applications and act accordingly. This is the latest city prime plot to be given to investors. Recently the government also gave away the Uganda Television land to Sudanese investors for a hotel venture. | 
