September 6, 2021
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
In a view to expedite the construction of the 23.8 million dollars pediatric hospital at Lumley, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) has completed a two day verification exercise on thirty households that are to be affected by the demolition exercise for the construction of the aforementioned 152 beds hospital at Lumley.
The Head of the Taskforce for the demolition exercise at Lumley Dr. Philip Kargbo reaffirmed that, the Bio led government has secured a 23.8 million dollars grant from the Government of Japan for the construction of the pediatric Hospital at Lumley.
“This is a grant we don’t want to miss if only we want the construction of the hospital. So we have decided to demolish the old hospital and houses illegally built by people in the hospital quarters. We cannot do the construction of the hospital without demolishing some houses so that the Japanese people can do the work unhindered”, said Dr. Kargbo.
According to the plan, Dr. Kargbo also reassured that the construction work of the hospital will start this September as part of the agreement which is the more reason they want to move fast with the demolition of the site. He added that from the list submitted by the community stakeholders and the hospital management, thirty households will be compensated with the sum of fifteen million Leones each as a relocation package.
In the instance of the property owners, Dr. Kargbo encouraged all those who have genuine claim of property ownership should confront the Ministry of Lands for further clarification. He however maintained that the land in question is a government land and that government has the right to retrieve it at any given moment.
Dr. Kargbo added that in the initial stage, they notified the property owners to bring their documentation in order to verify whether the land is theirs but nobody showed up to make a claim.
Honorable Ibrahim Tawa Conteh representing the people Constituency 132, also intimated that the verification exercise came as a result of a case he presented to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation regarding tenants who have occupied property belonging to government.
He added that he was able to have an agreement with the Ministry of Health for the consideration of what he called a humanitarian package of fifteen million Leones each to the tenants who occupy the said property belonging to government.
Hon. Tawa noted that government is not compensating anybody because the property in question is a government property. But because the people affected are Sierra Leoneans and more importantly this is the raining season, Hon. Tawa disclosed that it was the more reason he intervened so that government can give a human face to the entire demolition process.
“As a member of Parliament representing my people, I said we cannot demolish without engaging. So I have been engaging my people for the last one Month. On two separate weeks I have gone round the constituency announcing door to door in ensuring that I inform them about the project and the essence of the project”, he said.
During his door-door engagement, Hon. Tawa Conteh also disclosed that they registered few names as two households but later the verification exercise actually proved that they belong to one household. He noted two people Jennie Gboa and Elizabeth Coker refused to sign for the Fifteen Million Leones Humanitarian Package because they said the money is not commensurate to their houses two story buildings.
Hon Tawa Continued that Elizabeth Coker only has a survey Plans dated around 2020 but does not have a conveyance. Hon. Tawa further explained that there are two variances between a property owner and a land owner. He added that the only thing that qualifies the valuation of property is when the person is the legal land owners. ‘But in this case, they are just property owners’ and not land owners’. In the case of those who have properties worth millions of Leones, Hon. Tawa intimated that government is giving them the fifteen million Leones for an immediate relocation after which, the property owners will now bring a case to government that the fifteen million was small for their properties demolished.
Mamie Ballay claimed to be one of the property owners and have lived at the said premise for over twenty years. She added that it is from the rents she pays school fees for her children and also for their survival generally.
“We know that we have offended the government but we are appealing to the government to also help the property owners with a relocation package. It is obvious that I am not currently dwelling at the place because it was due to circumstances that I rented my houses”, she said.
She also claimed that she had document for the place which was given to her by her late mother-in-law Nurse Kadiatu Taylor. She called on government to come to their aid for an appreciable relocation package for property owners.