By KT Reporter
The Luwero District Chief Administrative Officer has ordered the demolition of an illegal commercial building in Luwero town after it was discovered that a local businessman constructed it after paying bribes and without a building plan. In December 2023, Ronald Luyinda, also known as Kalaso, a local businessman, embarked on constructing a three-room building on a plot of land measuring 9.0 x 9.5 meters at the periphery of Luwero taxi park owned by the Luwero Town Council.
However, in 2024, a whistleblower petitioned the Office of the Inspector General of Government, accusing Luyinda of fraudulently acquiring the land and constructing a structure without a physical plan. The Deputy Inspector of Government, Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, embarked on investigations and visited the building, which had been completed, and Luyinda had started using it.
She ordered the closure of the building till investigations are complete and directed the National Building Review Board to compile a report on the integrity of the structure. Now, the Deputy Inspector General of Government has written to the Luwero Chief Administrative Officer after completing investigations into the irregular disposal of public land and bribery allegations against town council leaders.
In her letter dated April 9, 2025, IGG Muhairwe stated that her investigations revealed that Luyinda commenced construction of the said building without authorization from the town council, which is the owner of the land. Muhairwe also noted that Luyinda has no building permit, in contravention of Section 33 of the Building Control Act as well as Regulation 5 of the Building Control Regulations.
“The illegality of the construction was confirmed by an independent review of the building by the National Building Review Board, which made recommendations,” Muhairwe said. Muhairwe also noted that preliminary evidence showed that Luyinda gave out money to several officials of the Luwero Town Council in a bid to secure permission or protection to undertake illegal construction.
“The purpose of this communication, therefore, is to apprise you of these findings and to draw your attention to the recommendations of the National Building Review Board,” IGG said in the letter, which was copied to the Police Commander, Resident District Commissioner, and LC5 Chairman. According to the National Building Review Board recommendations, the development of a building without permission from the town council renders it illegal, and it should be demolished as a result of trespass.
“Legal action should be taken against Mr. Luyinda Kalaso for illegally accessing and undertaking a building operation without the required permits from the town council. Consequently, the individuals claimed to be accomplices to the developer should be further managed by organs of the government,” the NBRB report reads. The National Building Review Board also warned the Physical Planning Committee against the irregular involvement in the building control function after finding that the town council has no Building Committee and no Physical Development Plan or Master Plan for the taxi park.
As a result, the Luwero District Chief Administrative Officer, Innocent Asaba Birekayaho, has written to the town clerk of Luwero Town, Lydia Nabaasa, forwarding the IGG’s letter and the National Building Review Board report to implement the recommendations as per the Local Government Act Cap 138 Section 6(1) and other laws.
“You are expected to apprise me on the implementation of the NBRB report to enable me also update the Office of Inspector General of Government accordingly,” Asaba wrote in his letter dated April 23, 2025. But Luwero Town Clerk Lydia Nabaasa has instead written to the Solicitor General seeking guidance on the matter before she can implement the recommendations.
In her letter dated April 28, 2025, Nabaasa also forwarded a file containing the details about Luyinda’s case, letters, and recommendations from the NBRB while seeking guidance before proceeding with the implementation. But Luyinda told URN that he has already challenged the pending demolition in court, insisting that he legally constructed the building since he paid the necessary fees to the town council and got permission from the LC3 Chairperson as well as the town clerk to construct the building.
“I am waiting for the Luwero Magistrate Court to determine my case and am not threatened by the reports of the National Building Review Board or letters of the IGG and CAO,” Luyinda said. Last year, Luyinda told IGG Muhairwe that he got the public land from the town council and that he paid 15 million shillings to three town councillors who promised to ensure that he got the necessary permits in vain. Luyinda named the leaders as Luwero Town Council Speaker Rebecca Namale, Councillors Robert Okello and Musa Kakande.
The town council leaders have already recorded statements at the Police denying receiving the said money, and investigations into the bribery allegations are ongoing. Last year, the IGG also interdicted Luwero Town Clerk Lydia Nabaasa over the same case. The IGG accused Nabaasa of overseeing the irregular disposal of land belonging to the Town Council and the construction of an illegal structure on the said land.
“The Town Clerk was informed of this illegal construction, but did not adequately intervene and the building was built to completion. In addition, the illegal developer was fraudulently assessed for property tax by the Town Council. He went ahead and paid property tax for the said property belonging to Luwero Town Council under the watch of the Town Clerk,” IGG Beti Kamya said.
However, Nabaasa’s interdiction was lifted later, and she resumed work in the same office after the mandatory six months had elapsed before investigations were concluded in the case against her-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
