KCCA councillors to meet Museveni

Kampala.

At least 260 city councillors across the five divisions of Kampala City will today meet President Museveni at his farm in Kisozi, Gomba District, to learn modern farming methods and also discuss management issues in the city.
The meeting, which was organised by Kampala Minister Beti Olive Kamya, comes barely a month after the same councillors defied Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and attended a leadership training at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi.
Ms Kamya confirmed today’s meeting to Daily Monitor at her office yesterday. She said it was a normal meeting which councillors had sought with the President.
“It’s just a day out for the councillors with the President and he will of course tour them around his farm in Kisozi and also teach them modern farming methods,” Ms Kamya said.
The minister also noted that the councillors would remind the President about the need to increase the budget of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to enhance service delivery in the city.
“Kampala is a cash cow of Uganda because it contributes about 70 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product of the country. In their previous meeting with the President, they demanded that Kampala’s budget ought to be increased if residents are to get better services. They will get a response tomorrow [today],” she said.
In the current financial year, KCCA was allocated Shs337 billion but the Authority wanted Shs1 trillion.
Although 260 councillors will meet the President, some who sit at the KCCA quarters, will not go. KCCA has 34 councillors while 280 sit at the divisions.
Out of the 34 KCCA councillors, only six will attend. Although majority of them from the five divisions are opposition, they have resolved to go.
Mr Lukwago accuses Ms Kamya of “ferrying” the councillors to meet Museveni so that they can be “bribed” to popularise his political agenda in the city.
“Ms Kamya is now an agent of Mr Museveni’s Kisanja Hakuna Mchezo in Kampala and they know that when there is a stable authority at KCCA, it gives me mileage. However, I bank on the sovereignty of the people and those councillors can’t make me lose sleep because they have no political influence whatsoever. They will be given little money and come back,” he said.