Hoima City AFCON 2027 road project: PAPs drag government to court over delayed land compensation

HOIMA CITY, September 24, 2026 — Project-affected persons [PAPs] in Hoima City have dragged the government to court over the acquisition of their land for an Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] road construction project without compensation.

Government has selected a 34-kilometre road network connecting Hoima City Stadium at a cost of Shs 213 billion ahead of the 2027 AFCON tournament. The project seeks to upgrade the roads from murram to tarmac.

The roads include Dr Rumba Road [1km], Mparo Bypass [10km], the Hoima City-Kyarwabuyamba-Bulinda-Kyarwiru road [6.4km], Masindi Road Division [1.5km], and the Mparo Bypass to Stadium-Masindi road [2.3km], among others.

However, some PAPs have refused to grant the right of way for the project, citing failure by the government to compensate them for their land.

Rev. Denis Murungi, Daniel Denis Mutatina, Dan David Businge, Robert Ntegeka, Musa Amanya, Ester Irumba and Florence Asaba filed the case at the High Court in Hoima on behalf of 30 affected persons through their lawyers, Kaggwa & Company Advocates, on July 16.

The case was filed against Hoima City, the Commissioner for Land Registration and the Attorney General. The residents who filed the case are located along the Hoima City-Kyarwabuyamba-Kyedikyo-Bulinda-Kyarwiru 6.4km road.

Speaking to theCooperator News, Dan David Businge, Chairperson of the affected persons, said the residents were not opposed to the project but wanted the government to compensate them for their land.

He said Article 26 of the 1995 Constitution protects the right to own property and provides for fair and adequate compensation in cases of compulsory acquisition of land.

Businge said the constitutional provision was not being followed in the road project, arguing that government officials were instead seeking to acquire the land forcibly.

He said the residents decided to seek court redress after engaging government officials, including Hoima City Council officials, but failing to reach a resolution.

Businge added that several residents have plots measuring 50 by 100 feet, and that Hoima City Council approves building plans on plots smaller than 50 by 100 feet.

He said surrendering part of their land for the project without compensation would result in significant losses for the affected landowners.

“Someone has a land title, then the government comes and takes part of this land. It means there will be a need to adjust the title. Who will pay the cost of making this adjustment if they do not want to compensate us?” he asked.

The case was heard on September 8, 2026, in the chambers of Christine Namutebi, an Assistant Registrar at the High Court in Hoima.

Following the hearing, court set October 27, 2026, as the date for delivering its ruling on the case filed by the PAPs, who are seeking compensation before the project encroaches on their land.

Apart from the 30 residents who have gone to court, several other residents along the other roads have also not consented to give the right of way for the project.

Hoima City Mayor Edward Isingoma said the project does not have a compensation component and called on residents who have not consented to give the right of way to do so for the benefit and development of the area.

He urged residents and landlords to support the project by providing land, saying they should view it as a development initiative that would improve their areas, increase property values and boost business activity.

Isingoma assured landlords that structures, including perimeter walls and houses affected during the implementation of the project, would be rebuilt by the contractor.

He said Hoima City has 641km of roads, of which only 25km are tarmacked, adding that upgrading the 34km road network from murram to tarmac would be a major relief and achievement for the city.

Dr Dennis K. Mugimba, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Sports and Chairperson of the Communications and Promotions Sub-Committee of the AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee, said he was not aware of the development.

However, former Hoima City Mayor and member of the AFCON organising committee Brian Kaboyo said there was no money allocated for compensation under the project.

Kaboyo added that in areas where residents deny the project the right of way, the funds allocated for those particular roads would instead be used to work on roads where residents are willing to provide land.

Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will jointly host the 2027 AFCON from June 19 to July 17, 2027. Apart from Hoima City Stadium, Mandela National Stadium in Kampala and Akii Bua Stadium in Lira City are other stadia earmarked to host some of the tournament’s football matches.

https://thecooperator.news/govt-says-afcon-2027-stadia-to-be-ready-by-december/

Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our  country- wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news