Court in Mpigi has ruled in favour of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) in a case against a claimant seeking Shs500 million compensation for a purported sacred tree in Mpigi District.
Court said Mr Hussein Katamba should instead get the Shs4.6m that UNRA initially offered for his 0.083-acre piece of land on which the tree is found.
The construction works for the 23.7km expressway had stalled partly because the owners of the land had asked for Shs500 million to appease their clan spirits before the tree is cut down.
“We have successfully defended the matter in Court and court has granted that we only compensate the claimant for kibanja and not as a cultural site,” said UNRA’s media relations manager, Mr Allan Ssempebwa.