Residents of Kyagunda village in Bukulula Sub County in Kalungu district are up in arms against Hanan Construction Company Limited, which is constructing Nyendo-Bukakata road for destroying their property.
Residents accuse the Chinese firm of destroying their properties that include homes, crop gardens and blocking community water sources because of stone quarrying activities in the area.
On Wednesday, the affected residents blocked the company workers from accessing the stone quarry found on their village. They blocked the road protesting whey they described as arrogance of the contractors.
Josephine Ganaafa and Godfrey Baganza, some of the affected residents accuse the contractor of using very old trucks that ram into people’s plantations and homes.
He explains that his house was knocked down by an over-speeding truck but the contractor is reluctant to compensate him for the loss.
The enraged residents also accuse the company drivers of driving recklessly, which exposes the lives of the residents at risk.
//Cue in: “n’emulugunya Kampuuni…..
Cue out; …..byonna ebyabaddewo.”//
Richard Kiwanuka, the Kyaggunda Village Chairperson says that he has continuously asked supervisor of the contractor to restrain their drivers from misconduct in vain.
He also claims that some of the drivers behave the way they do deliberately because they usually siphon fuel from the trucks
//Cue in: “kuba emmotoko ezo….
Cue out; ….alinga atyo.”//
The tense situation in the area took the intervention of Fahad Mutangizi, the Community Liaisons Officer from Hanan Construction Company to apologise to residents for the loses they had suffered.
He told the affected residents that the contractor will send in an evaluation team to assess the damage caused for possible compensation.
Hanan Construction Company Limited was subcontracted by Arab Contractors Uganda Limited to construct Nyendo-Bukata road with funding from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) to the tune of Shillings 165.5 billion.
Story by:
Ezekiel Ssekweyama
Ndungu Fred
