Following
the evaluation exercise of all houses in Kampala with the latest division to
have its draft evaluation list out being Kawempe, Kampala Capital City Authority
(KCCA) today confirms that it will increase on the property rates it plans to
charge landlords in the coming financial year.
According to
the local governments Act section 14 and 15, local administrative units
are meant to carry out evaluation of commercial houses after every five years
to determine the best rates for each landlord basing on the fee the landlord
charges the tenants.
Dr. Emmanuel Serunjoji Owende, the mayor of
Kawempe division says, they have pinned the draft lists of the evaluated
buildings in the division and its here that he is urging all landlords to make
it a point to visit the division headquarters to check their proposed new
rates.
Serunjoji notes that, they have registered an
increase in the property from 23000 in 2015 to 45000 anticipating to collect UGX.10Billion from UGX.2.5Billion which money he
says is used to extend better services to residents in the division namely,
constructing roads, install street lights, dig better drainage channels, garbage
collection among others.
However, the
clerks to the evaluation court at KCCA, Kamoga
Elias and Brenda Nahamya ask
landlords who feel uncomfortable with the new fees to be charged on them to
come to petition the evaluation court at KCCA within a period of 30 days for their cases to be heard.
Speaking to
one of the landlords in the area, Godfrey
Kyogaya who doubles as the secretary LC1 Mukalazi zone, he feels the new
charges are going to make life difficult for landlords since the old charges
were a burden.
Kyogaya showed us a tax demanding notice of UGX.1.4Million sent to him by KCCA he
has failed to clear due to a number of demands. With this, he expresses serious
worries on whether he will be able to pay.
The landlord
is meant to pay 6% of their annual
rent collections off the 22% that is
assumed to be used to cover house repair, pay for utilities like water and
power with failure to comply then the authority issues a notice to use the law.
The exercise
started in January this year and the authority hopes to be done with the whole
exercise including determining the final property rates per landlord before the
beginning of the new financial year.
END