Africa-Press – Uganda. Soroti City Council has demolished a structure at Soroti golf club amid a land dispute. The authorities demolished the structure that was being erected by Mr Calvin Echodu on the golf course land on June 16.
Mr Echodu is a former Soroti City West MP flag bearer for the National Resistance Movement. He is based in the USA and has been managing Pilgrim Africa, an NGO that has for the last 25 years helped in the fight against Malaria in Teso Sub-region.
Through his lawyers, Mr Echodu claims he signed a memorandum of understanding with Soroti Golf Club Limited in 2008. But the registered trustees of Soroti Club, who oversee the custodianship of the club, say Soroti Golf Club does not exist.
Mr Echodu and Soroti Golf Club Limited through their legal representative, Jambo & Co. Advocates, opposed the move to demolish the structure.
In a June 20 letter, the law firm told Soroti mayor, town clerk, and the city engineer that Mr Echodu and Soroti Golf Club Limited are the legitimately registered proprietors of land on plots 10-12 on Kennedy Square.
The firm says that on February 27, 2017, Mr Echodu and Soroti Golf Club Limited through Arch Techno crafts Limited applied for approval of plans to develop the said land in accordance with then Soroti Municipal Council conditions, including but not limited to sports activities such as golf and cricket.
The letter states that the authorities issued Mr Echodu and Soroti Golf Club Limited a building permit on February 17.
“After obtaining the said permit, we started excavation works for a storeyed clubhouse,” part of the letter read.
But the Registered Trustees of Soroti Golf Club filed an application in court, seeking an interim order to halt developments on the land.
Sources say Soroti Golf Club Limited is owned by five individuals including Mr Echodu.
Mr Echodu has accused the resident district commissioner and other city officials of calling for the demolition of the structure.
Mr Peter Pex Paak, the Soroti resident city commissioner, said the city council is the planning authority for urban development.
“There is a lot of witch-hunt in Teso, I am shocked to hear that I directed the demolition, my directives are done in writing, it is my appeal if there is an aggrieved party they can go to court,” Mr Paak said.
He said the city authorities could have demolished the structure because the developer defied an order halting the construction works until further notice.
Mr Paak said besides opening of boundaries, the developer was asked to liaise with the city engineer on any matter pertaining to that land but it was never followed.
The Soroti City mayor, Mr Joshua Edogu, said the land tenure in the city is leasehold, and the land board reserves the right to grant such leases.
“We also have the power to determine where a road, factory or school and other infrastructure should be built,” he said.
Mr Raymond Ekadu, one of the members of Soroti Golf Club, said, the MOU Mr Echodu and Soroti Golf Club Limited say they entered with the old, registered trustees of Soroti Club in 2008 was to rehabilitate the facilities, not to own the land or build new structures.
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