Mbarara city launches property tax validation to raise Shs9b from local revenue collection

MBARARA – Where as Mbarara city’s total budget stands at Shs 45b; a total of Shs 9b approximately 20% comes from local revenue collection realized from trading licenses and other taxes imposed on the business community within the city boundaries.

It is from this background that Mbarara city leadership asked all landlords to comply with the property valuation exercise to achieve their estimated local revenue collection.

The deputy City Mayor, Priscah Mulongo made these remarks while launching the valuation ratings of Mbarara city buildings around the city.

According to Mulongo, the property rates are stipulated in the Local Government Act amended in 2005 Section 3 which requires Local Government to levy property rates on the building owners within its jurisdiction.

Mulongo reports that the last valuation exercise of buildings happened in 2015 at a time when Mbarara was still a municipality.

“Each government entity is supposed to evaluate rates every after five years and ours was last done in 2015 when we were still a municipality but since we were elevated to a city status, we have to re-evaluate the ratings,” the Deputy Mayor said.

“This gives us the mandate to do valuation of properties to come up with new rates because we now have a city status with a new face of Mbarara,” she added.

The Deputy City Mayor says, the rating of Mbarara City buildings will help to track revenue collections from all the developments to change the face of Mbarara.

“We have all witnessed development within a short time regardless of challenges such as Covid-19 but new buildings have been put up and others are undergoing construction which are not captured and do not pay property rates,” says Mulongo.

“For instance, someone who was the building owner for the last five years is no longer the landlord because the property has changed ownership yet we need to account for the property within the city for better planning and budget processes,” she added.

According to Samuel Tayebwa, the City Revenue Officer, the valuation exercise for the buildings in the city is going to be spearheaded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with Knight Frank Uganda Ltd, a qualified valuer in Uganda.

“Under Section 8 of the Local Government Act, it is required that a qualified valuer should be appointed for the purpose of rating and it is Knight Frank Uganda Ltd in partnership with USAID that chose to take up the role where we had gaps of an expired valuation,” he said.

Tayebwa adds that the city leadership will be excited to increase property tax from Shs 1.3billion on average every financial year.

“Mbarara raises Shs 1.3billion on average but since it is now a new city, we expect a lot of local revenue because the property rate values vary depending on the market value of the rent which people give,” says Tayebwa.

He noted that contradictory values for the buildings can be challenged to the city authorities or in the valuation court.

“Values which will be published are subjected to objection so I appeal to the landlords to challenge values of property if they are not satisfied with the valuer. But if you don’t view the list and object, that means you agree with the valuation,” the revenue officer explained.

According to Tayebwa, the valuation exercise targeting all immovable property such as kiosks, buildings, industrial, non-industrial or any other structure will end in June 2022.

Aggrey Twijukye, one of the landlords in Mbarara town, invited his fellow landlords to cooperate with valuers.

“I want to appeal to my fellow landlords to make sure they comply because most of our buildings are vacant and unless we declare that this is an empty space, the city council shall levy wrong rates to our structures,” Twijukye said.

On behalf of business people in Mbarara, Twijukye also requested the city council to look into the issue of transparency while collecting taxes.

“Why should kiosks operating from behind the buildings be charged the same amount paid by the business people operating from the main street? Is that fair really?” the city boss asked.

“How does the city expect to increase revenue from Shs 1.3billion to Shs 3 billion when most of the commercial premises are unoccupied due to Covid19 crisis? Otherwise, people are running away from the city which the city leadership has to pay attention,” he added.

The Local Government Act 2005 which stipulates that all buildings in the city councils are levied property rent tax was passed by the 1900 legislature to help collect government revenue for purposes of development.

“Property rates is a levy which is pressed onto the payment of which is placed on the buildings of owners of any jurisdiction that has been confirmed as sufficient to charge property tax and those are town councils, municipalities and cities,” reads part of the Local Government Act 2005.

https://thecooperator.news/lira-produce-sacco-requests-msc-to-probe-emyooga/

Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country- wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news

The post Mbarara city launches property tax validation to raise Shs9b from local revenue collection appeared first on The Cooperator News.

Fire guts timber worth millions; one dead in Mbarara City

MBARARA – Dozens of traders lost property worth millions on Monday October 25th, 2021 after a fire engulfed timber traders near Mbarara Bus Park in Mbarara City.

The fire, that is believed to have started at around 2:00 am on Monday, also destroyed vehicles and several other kiosks near the bus park along Akiki Nyabongo road, that employed a huge population in the city.

Locals and the business community rushed to the scene to save their property but could not stop the wild flames from burning most of their properties including mattresses, and timber molding machines to ash.

Kiiza Joab, one of the witnesses confirmed that the unfortunate fire outbreak burnt one of the workers identified as Ssenkuba Kaboyi alias Sonko to death out of the 15 people who were reported to be residing in the workshop kiosks.

Locals also blamed police for failing to have enough resources to put off such fire in the city.

“We called police but the fire brigade was grounded until one from Bushenyi came to our rescue,” one of the traders complained.

Robert Kakyebezi, the City Mayor said, it was unfortunate for the traders but appealed to the government to provide the city with a standby fire brigade car for such future misfortunes.

“What has happened is unfortunate to the city especially those trading in timber. I ask police and the central government that we need to have a new standby fire brigade vehicle in Mbarara to prevent any other eventualities in our area rather than waiting to call in other districts for help,” Kakyebezi emphasized.

Lt Col James Mwesigye also advised Mbarara City Council to gazette a place outside the town vicinity for traders dealing in furniture and mechanics to prevent further damages in future.

“My advice to council is that next time, they should remove the timber business out of town or else they risk burning the whole town of Mbarara because it’s difficult to put out fire that comes from timber,” Mwesigye said.

By press time, the fire brigade team was still putting off the fire. When our reporter called the Police Spokesperson, SP Samson Kasasira, to confirm the damages and cause of the fire; his known phones were off.

However, SSP Collins Kaganzi, a police commander in charge of Field Force Unit (FFU) said, his team swung into action late in the night to prevent more damages to the neighboring businesses such as fuel stations and other commercial buildings.

https://thecooperator.news/mbarara-central-market-completion-extended-again/

Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country- wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news

The post Fire guts timber worth millions; one dead in Mbarara City appeared first on The Cooperator News.

Soroti vendors threaten to sue Soroti City authorities

SOROTI – Pressure is mounting on Soroti City authorities as the Minister for Local Government, Raphael Magezi gives them a three weeks ultimatum to resolve the mess in stalls and lock-ups allocation process at the recently operationalized Soroti Modern Market.

The Shs 24 billion market constructed by TECHNO 3 Uganda Ltd under the second phase of Market and Agricultural Trade Improvement Program – MATIP2 was commissioned in November, 2020 by His Excellence President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni while soliciting for votes in Teso region for 2021 general poll.

This is part of $94m (about Shs.316b) loan, which the government of Uganda secured from the African Development Bank in 2016 for the construction of eleven (11) modern markets across the country.

The market was constructed specifically for the low-income earners and the vendors, who were operating in the old market that was demolished in March, 2018.

In September this year, city authorities together with the lock-up allocation committee chaired by Richard Opiding, relocated more than 1,300 vendors from container village, a temporal settlement after months of disagreements between city authorities and the market vendors.

However, weeks after the vendors occupied the market, a group of ten (10) vendors who missed out on lock-up spaces through their lawyer Opio and Company Advocates petitioned city council authorities under Section (2) of the Civil Procedure Limitation Miscellaneous Provision Act Cap 72 for allegedly breaching the contract.

The intended Plaintiffs include; George Akojoi, Isaac Auta, John Epudu, Samuel Pasama Opio, Michael Otigo, Catharine Aanyu, Mary Amagoro, Richard Ebwonyu Peter Eluengu and Stephen Othieno.

They accuse the allocation committee and the city authorities for allocating spaces to only landlords who built on council land and those who hired lockups from council before construction of the new market at their expense.

In their one petition, received by the Soroti City Clerk, Ambrose Ocen on 10th October, 2021, says that they are the legal owners of the lockup spaces and deserve equitable interests in the shops operating in Soroti old market under the stewardship of their intended defendants.

The petitioners add that by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) executed in 2016, they, Soroti municipal council by then and other vendors agreed to vacate their respective shops at Soroti old market to pave way for the construction of a modern market.

George Akojoi, the lead petitioner told theCooperator that under the terms of the said Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), they were to be given first priority to occupy and utilize the modern completed facility.

“But, to their dismay, Soroti City Authorities and the lock-up spaces allocation committee gave out lock-ups to vendors who were not part of the initial registered vendors at their expense,” he added.

Akojoi, further claims that several attempts to settle the matter with the intended defendant were futile, nobody gave them attention prompting them to seek help from the courts of law.

“We have tried all our best to settle this matter at a lower level but since no one seems to be willing to listen to our plight, we now intend to drag them to courts of law for redress,” he said.

Through Opio and Company Advocates, the intended plaintiffs now demand that each of them be allocated a lockup in the market as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which they signed with the intended defendant.

According to Opio and Company Advocates, if Soroti City Council fails to honor the request of the intended plaintiffs, they will demand for Shs.100, 000,000 each for general damages with interests and costs.

This is in compensation for the deprivation, trauma, psychological torture, pain, ridicule and shame that they have suffered in the course of the matter.

Efforts to get a comment from both the Chairman Market Vendors George William Eriebat and Richard Opiding the Chairman allocation committee for comments were futile as they declined to comment on the matter.

However, Damali Asekenye the Principal Community Development Officer who spearheaded the allocation and shifting process to the new market facility described the move by the intended plaintiffs to sued Soroti City Council as a waste of time and resources.

“We successfully handled category one and two which comprise of vendors who built lock-ups on council land and those who hired council-built lock-ups and rented them out to sub tenants who are now complaining” said Asekenye.

She advised the complaints vendors to amicably settle the matter with market and Soroti city authorities.

“I would like to advice the people who have gone to court to come back and settle this matter with us amicably because the Memorandum of Understanding that they are carrying clearly indicates that they were not tenants to council but they also rented the lock-up in Soroti old market from the land lords who hired lock-ups from council. That therefore means, these sub tenants who are running to court will have no evidence of ownership of lockups in the old market to defend their suit,” she added.

However, the Minister for Local Government, Raphael Magezi said he has received complaints from some vendors whom he didn’t name who have been calling him accusing Soroti City Council authorities over bribery, double allocation of lock-ups at Soroti modern market.

He said that according to the information, some of the civil servants and politicians allocated lock-ups to themselves and their relatives who are not part of the registered vendors.

The Minister therefore gave the Soroti City Council authorities a three weeks ultimatum to solve the matter before 15th November, 2021.

He warned that in the event that they fail, those involved will face the wrath of the law without compromise.

According to Magezi, no council official is supposed to occupy space in the market yet non civil servants who are the rightful beneficiaries are not accommodated.

The Minister described the tendency of civil servants and politicians allotting themselves lock-ups living out would be beneficiaries as corruption of the highest order which can not be tolerated.

Meanwhile, the Soroti City Clerk Ambrose Ocen, said that his office is going to hold a meeting with the complainants, lock-up allocation committee and the city leadership to forge a way forward.

“We don’t want the issue of lock-ups to create disharmony between complainants and city authorities, a reason the conflicting parties must come to understanding,” he added.

But Moses Attan Okia, the Soroti City East MP faulted officials in the city for playing double standards in the allocation of lockups to the vendors in the new market.

Attan, noted that the irregularities in the allocation of lock-ups in market if not handled properly, will cost Soroti City Council huge sums of money over breach of contract.

https://thecooperator.news/government-constructs-three-modern-markets-in-the-albertin-grabben/

Soroti main market has more than 1,300 lockups and stalls and is expected to employ more than 5,000 people directly and indirectly in terms of suppliers of goods, vendors, and others providing auxiliary services like transport.

In addition to stalls and lockups, the market also among others has CCTV cameras linked to the Soroti Central Police Station, cold rooms and service centers, 500,000 liters water tank, butcheries, chicken cages, tailoring, pharmacies, financial institutions and small-scale value addition units.

Buy your copy of theCooperator magazine from one of our countrywide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news

The post Soroti vendors threaten to sue Soroti City authorities appeared first on The Cooperator News.

Government assures Lango of Sh3.5b palace construction

LANGO – The government is to kick start the construction of Lango palace and 149 offices for clan chiefs to ease their work.

The Minister for Gender, Labor and Social Development, Betty Amongi said, the construction would kick off soon because the government has advanced money to the contractor. The contract was awarded to CMD investment Ltd.

The scope of the work according to Amongi who is also Oyam South legislator, includes construction of the administration block, a cultural center, palace and offices for the clan leaders.

Early this year, the government held a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the palace at Lango Cultural Center. The then Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanya represented President Museveni.

Since then (May 2021), the construction of the palace which was supposed to last 18 months has not started prompting both the community and cultural leaders to raise red flags.

Minister Amongi, who has intervened in the Lango cultural institution leadership conflict said, the government would request for a supplementary budget as soon as the contractor starts the work.

For ten years now, there has been a rift in the leadership of the institution, since the then Speaker Wakeli Okello claimed he was sidelined during a tour by the Chief and his delegation to Europe and America.

The row escalated and a section of clan chiefs rallied behind former Uganda Road Fund (URF), Executive Director, Eng. Dr Michael Odongo Okune who had shown interest to become the Paramount Chief (Won Nyaci) and elected him in 2017.

The two operated differently with Eng. Dr Odongo calling himself the legitimate Paramount Chief waiting to be gazzeted while Odur remains the head of the institution.

“The confusion has affected many developmental projects which were supposed to come to Lango,” Amongi says.

“As the government, we were not sure of the person we should invite when there is a national function like celebrating independence,” she adds.

“But I want to assure the people of Lango that the palace will be built and the confusion is coming to an end,” Amongi said.

Meanwhile, the government has adopted the resolution passed by 118 Lango clan leaders out of 149 to continue to recognize Odur as the Paramount Chief.

They also resolved that President Museveni should also be informed about the development including banning Eng. Dr Odongo from officiating at cultural ceremonies.

https://thecooperator.news/lango-mps-query-the-verified-cattle-compensation-list-by-government/

Buy your copy of theCooperator magazine from one of our countrywide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news

The post Government assures Lango of Sh3.5b palace construction appeared first on The Cooperator News.

CNOOC partners with kingdom to prepare youth for oil Opportunities

BUNYORO – China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Uganda has stepped out with projects aimed at preparing Bunyoro kingdom subjects to tap into opportunities created by the oil and gas sector.

While the discovery of oil in the Albertine region has raised fears of a likely resource curse, government and oil companies are putting in place strategies to mitigate the negative impacts associated with the industry.

Last week, CNOOC in partnership with Bunyoro Kitara kingdom launched a training campaign for the heavy goods truck drivers as one way of preparing them for the oil and gas opportunities.

CNOOC is taking the Kingfisher oil field in Buhuka parish, Kyangwali sub-county in Kikuube district onshore of Lake Albert.

Kingfisher field development area is spread over approximately 344km2 in the Lake Albert Rift Basin in Western Uganda. The oil field is situated on the Eastern bank of Lake Albert, which acts as a border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was discovered by the Kingfisher-1 wildcat well in 2006.

Speaking during the launch at the Kingdom administration offices, Mathew Kyaligonza, the National Content Manager, CNOOC Uganda said, the training program was initiated following an extensive industrial baseline survey which was conducted to determine and align potential planned projects for goods and services within the Ugandan market.

He explained that the survey highlighted 100,000 to 150,000 direct and indirect jobs that will be created during the production phase of the oil and gas.

He added that it found out that the oil and gas sector will need 2,500 skilled drivers and these skilled drivers are not available.

He says, these opportunities are the reason why the oil company has initiated training of drivers in the region to position the Kingdom subjects to grab the opportunities.

According to him, the training will benefit 70 drivers and the training will take three months.

The beneficiaries will be equipped with driving skills which will allow them to operate beyond the East Africa region.

“The participants will learn key issues in dealing with heavy goods vehicles’ driving in accordance with East African Community curriculum,” he explained.

More than 86 people applied for the training but only 70 qualified and this training will be conducted every year. The training will be conducted by Uganda Driving Standards Agency.

While launching the campaign, Kingdom Prime Minister, Andrew Byakutaga Ateenyi commended CNOOC Uganda for the initiative adding that there is still need to prepare the Kingdom subjects for the upcoming oil and gas opportunities.

He noted that the discovery of oil and gas has created a lot of excitement and anxiety adding that many people are flocking the kingdom hunting for opportunities in the petroleum sector.

“Almost daily, the kingdom receives people inquiring about available opportunities in the oil sector and I am happy that some of the inquiries are being answered with this training which we are launching today.”

Byakutaga says, the issues of local content are still lacking, adding that there is a need for concerted effort to address this challenge, if the kingdom subjects are to benefit from the sector.

“The national oil and gas policy provides an elaborate way through which Ugandans can benefit from the local content in the oil sector; we are pleased that the government has gone ahead to create guidelines for implementation of oil and gas policy, and the government has also passed laws to govern the sector,” he said.

He also said, the challenge is implementing the local content policy and regulation to enable people to benefit from the sector.

https://thecooperator.news/minister-urges-oil-companies-to-expedite-the-signing-of-the-final-investment-decision-fid-on-oil-and-gas/

According to him, this calls for concerted effort from every one. “People need training to be prepared to produce required goods and services and their capacity to be developed to match with the oil and gas standards, the more we delay the more we lose opportunities.”

Apollo John Rwamparo, the Bunyoro Kitara kingdom Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, called on the oil companies to come up with a program of preparing the business communities in the region for the sector.

He says, the kingdom subjects owning businesses are missing out on several oil and gas opportunities because they lack information on how to join and tap in the sector.

Buy your copy of theCooperator magazine from one of our countrywide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news

The post CNOOC partners with kingdom to prepare youth for oil Opportunities appeared first on The Cooperator News.