The Government of Uganda has finally reached an agreement with residents of Oburu-Rubongi and Osukuru Sub-countyTororo District to get access rights to allow the establishment of Phosphate Factory estimated to cost United State Dollars 600 Million.
According to Naome Kabanda the Assistant Commissioner Land Inspectorate Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development residents have accepted to allow government surveyors and Valuers, to undertake systematic demarcation and evaluation of the their properties to ascertain the amount of compensation per household.
Naome said that earlier the residents had resisted the process basing of misinformation passed to them by selfish politicians who were opposed to project which was designed to create employment for close to 2000 residents mainly from the Sub County.
Kabanda said that the Phosphate factory will occupy 14 villages and the residents in those villages will be compensated and they will sign lease agreements with the investor ion individual basis to allow residents benefit from the minerals.
the Chief Surveyor Lutaayathe residents of Osukuru and Rubongi Sub Counties have since cooperated and allowed his team to do demarcation which is one the majors steps towards giving residents legal rights over land which makes them rightful owners with powers to negotiate for financial gains out their Land.
Lutaaya said that even if it was not for the establishment of the factory the residents of the projected villages would have applied to get land tittles, but in that case they were supposed to pay for the process but this process is free and no person should pay for anything
He called upon the people in those villages to report anybody who in anyway asks for money to undertake the systematic demarcation in relation to the phosphate Factory, Lutaaya said that the systematic demarcation will last for 70 days and display will then take to allow for collection of mistakes that could have arisen as result wrong placing of marker stones.
Each and every person will verify if the data entered at the time of surveying is right then we proceed to print the maps and later issue documents that specify ownership of Land Lutaaya told the resident Oburuc Village one the villages that had resisted the process.
VicentOtwani the Youth leader for Oburuc Zone one the villages with high level minerals said that they had resisted the project as result of political misinformation but they have now realized the project is scheduled to benefit them and the youths in the Sub county will be employed by the Factory
Otwani says that they have listened to the Presidents call for investment as the only way to get funds should developed Countries continue cutting aid, Otwani says that the factory is the only way through which the people of Tororo and Uganda at large will realize industrialization the road to development.
The Phosphate Factory if established and commences operations is expected to produce Agricultural fertilizers that are highly marketable in the Eastern African Region and boost food and Agricultural production to minimize food insecurity that has been affecting many Countries.
The President earlier this week sent a team lead by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Irene Muloni to try assess the progress of the Systematic demarcation process to speed up the establishment process so as to start the production of fertilizers in the region.
Kenya cureently is the only East African country that has fertlizers if the Tororo factory starts production it will be the biggest with capacity to produce over 500 metric tones and it will be supplied to DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and South Sudan.