The probe into the Centenary Park saga kicked off today with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director, Jenifer Musisi demanding that businessman Geoffrey Nyakana’s wife, Sarah Kizito, pays the Shs900m losses incurred by National Water and Sewerage Corporation because of their refusal to vacate the premises.

Appearing before the House Committee on Commissions, State Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), Ms Musisi accused Nalongo Estates of frustrating public projects by their continued ‘illegal’ occupation of the contested property.

“The financial loss occasioned to National Water and Sewerage Corporation caused by interference of the blockade by Nalongo Estates Ltd and who should bear the same,” Ms. Musisi said.

According to documents submitted to Parliament, the utility body has reported losses amounting to Shs979, 915, 047m, as of May 2017 and the NWSC boss Mr. Silver Mugisha has already warned Parliament that if the impasse between the Nyakanas and KCCA isn’t resolved the contractor on site will continue fining the utility body.

At the same hearing the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), another body dragged into the Centenary Park mess, presented an artistic impression of the Kampala Flyover planned to pass through Centenary Park, saying the project cannot proceed if the Nyakana’s insist on staying on the property. UNRA needs 5.85acres out of the 7acres the contested property occupies.

The rest of the flyover land will come from Uganda Railways (8.7acres), Mukwano Industries (2.3acres), Police in Kibuli (3.8acres), Electoral Commission (2.702 acres) and Posta Uganda (0.65acres).

The ongoing Centenary Park investigations being chaired by Mr Abdu Katuntu (FDC, Bugweri) arose after a battle between KCCA and the Nyakanas, when the former refused to renew the lease of Nalongo Estates arguing the land is going to be used for the development of public projects.

Subsequently, it is said the proprietors of Nalongo Estates sought ‘protection’ from President Yoweri Museveni by asking him to order KCCA to unconditionally renew their lease. KCCA on the other hand sought help from the government Ombudsman, Irene Mulyagonja, who later asked Parliament to investigate the matter with arguments that her mandate does not stretch to private businesses.

At the Parliament hearing, Ms Kizito was accompanied by her husband, Godfrey Nyakana, a former NRM Kampala Chairman, who introduced himself as a ‘personal consultant’ to Kizito.

Meanwhile, Ms Musisi also pleaded with MPs to prevail over Nyakana, whom she accused of mobilizing goons to disrupt government works at Centenary Park.

Background

To jog the readers’ memory, KCCA and the Nyakanas entered into an agreement in May 16, 2006 on how to manage Centenary Park, with the latter party being given a 10-year lease.

The lease expired on May 2016 and the Nyakanas were meant to handover the now-contested land to KCCA but have since declined to do so, leading to the protracted battle between the two parties.

Further inquiry into the matter will continue tomorrow because appeared before the committee without any written responses to the allegations labeled against her.

Mr Katuntu’s committee has 10 days to dispose off the investigation.

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The Ministry of Public Service has issued ‘new guidelines’ to be followed in respect to how officers dress to office, in the process banning miniskirts.

According to a release titled: ‘Dressing for the non-uniformed officers in the Public Service’, signed by the Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwire, indicates that public servants are supposed to ‘dress decently and in the generally acceptable standards in the Uganda Community’.

According to Ms. Musingwire, some Public Servants seem to have negated their responsibility to dress decently.

‘It has however, been observed that public Officers have continued to dress in a manner that does not portray a good image of the service and does not fall in the generally acceptable standards of the Community’.

But quoting Section F-J (a) of the Public Service Standing Orders, 2010, Ms. Musingwire says the provisions therein provide for dress code for females serving in the Public Service. Under the same section F-J (b) provides for the dress code of men.

Among the prohibited issues is ‘a skirt or dress that is not above the knees’; ‘sleeves or transparent dresses’; ‘clothing that does not cover the cleavage’; flat shoes (except on Doctors’ advice); ‘bright-coloured hair’; and ‘tight-fitting dresses’.

It should be recalled that in the 1970s President Idi Amin banned miniskirts in Uganda, and women found in breach of the directive were occasionally subjected to arrest.

However, with the ‘return to normalcy’ between 1979 and now, most women, even those in public service, have since thrown caution to the wind and dressed in a ‘provocative’ manner, a development that could have led to the directive by the Public Service PS.

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