By George Bukenya
Despite President’s directive to landlords to issue a yak miter box to every room tenant and also stop charging toilet fees from tenants, they defied his directives and continue with such charges.
This has caused outrage tension among the tenants renting in various buildings a case in point is Ovino Building in Kesenyi, Kisenyi parish, which caused the intervention of Kampala Deputy RCC Shafic Nsubuga to resolve the long time dispute.
The tenants and some locker landlords accuse the developer Tripat of infringing on their rights where they say he tendered the supply of electricity and toilet facilities to other people who charge them exorbitant charges.
They say the tenderer for toilets charge them UGX 300 per single use and for power the fees range from UGX 60,000 to 100,000 yet they don’t use amount resonating with such charge yet even this violets the presidential directive which require every tenant to be given own meter.
The meeting aimed at between the said landlord and traders operating at Ovino Building were convened at the premises park yard, and the gathering helped to secured temporary relief after authorities suspended the collection of disputed management fees by a private developer, bringing a pause to a long-running dispute over control, ownership, and service charges.
The discrepancies centers on developer Tripat, who constructed the building under a condominium arrangement and later sold approximately 35 percent of the shops to individual traders while retaining a majority stake. Traders have accused the developer of continuing to levy charges for utilities and services despite the partial sale, describing the fees as unfair and unjustified.
In the meeting, RCC Nsubuga directed that the current traders’ leadership assume responsibility for managing the building’s affairs for an interim period of 90 days. He explained that the arrangement is temporary, pending preparations for elections to establish a new management structure.
The decision effectively halts the developer’s collection of management fees as stakeholders seek clarity on ownership rights and governance of the property.
Traders expressed relief after years of frustration. One shop owner cited “arbitrary fee increments and lack of transparency in billing,” saying the situation had placed a heavy financial burden on businesses.
The Federation of Traders Associations, President John Kabanda, welcomed the intervention, describing it as a timely response to traders’ concerns. He also said that this will help overcome the disputes and remove tension.