Hoima leaders concerned over illegal structures

Hoima: Leaders in Hoima City have raised alarms over the increased mushrooming of illegal structures being erected, which are creating disorder in the city.

This was revealed during the city council meeting held at the Hoima Buffalo Hotel on Thursday, August 22, 2024.

Brian Kaboyo, the Hoima City Mayor, revealed that there are a lot of mushrooming illegal structures within the city, and among the leaders, no one knows how these people get permission to construct them.

Kaboyo tasked the city clerk to follow up on such illegal structures and demolish them. ‘’The technical team advised the clerk and his executive that we must fight where, how, and who authorized the construction of these facilities. As leaders, we tell them we shouldn’t, and those structures that are illegal should be demolished.’’

He said that they expect the technical team to do their mandate and make sure that the illegal construction is not done.

The city clerk, Godfrey Kiseka, disclosed that it’s not easy to just arrest or demolish these illegal constructions without court orders.

Kiseka says if these illegal structures are not handled according to the law, then the owners may end up dragging the city into court under the law or paying a fine for the demolitions.

‘’According to the law, the town clerk is supposed to be sued or write notice to stop the illegal construction. As your aware, honorable speaker, now we have a senior legal officer who is going to help us graft these illegal notices, and it’s the duty of the town clerk or any person assigned by the town clerk to deliver the notices. It gives certain days, and if the proprietors continue with construction, it can cause arrests or the impounding of materials.’’

Iddi Magezi, the secretary for production, requested that the council come up with a resolution that allows the town clerk to immediately demolish illegal structures in the city.

‘’The issue of illegal construction, honorable speaker, all along we have been seeing a physical planning team demolishing some illegal structures within the. I’m requesting much, as we are afraid to be taken to court, but we should sit and watch when these people are constructing houses illegally.’’

‘’You know it’s a process; coming out with a demolition order is a process, and these people will be stopped from constructing. I’m requesting that this council come up with a solution over this; what do we do to curb these mushrooming illegal structures in the city?’’ he added.

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