Kamya, Lukwago demand bigger funding for KCCA

KAMPALA.

Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and minister for Kampala Beti Kamya have unanimously agreed that Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) needs stronger funding than it is currently getting from the central government.

“During the release of the budget, KCCA was allocated Shs560b only but this money is little. As city leaders, we need to join our voice and demand an increased budget that will help us transform the city to the expectation of Ugandans. Since we [Kampala] contribute 70 per cent to the revenue, we could at least be given one trillion because the city alone contributes around Shs10 trillion,” Ms Kamya said.

She was speaking on Friday at a consultative stakeholders meeting on how to develop Kampala City. The meeting was also attended by Mr Lukwago with whom Ms Kamya has had political clashes on several occasions.

The consultative meeting was organised by the Ministry for Kampala City and was attended by Vice President Edward Ssekandi, city politicians, KCCA technical team headed by executive director Jennifer Musisi and other stakeholders.

Ms Kamya, a former opposition MP for Rubaga North, said she joined the government of President Museveni, whom she once viciously criticised, because she had embraced his vision of taking Uganda to a middle income status by 2020.

Kamya, the president of the Uganda Federal Alliance party, was appointed to Cabinet in June. Since her appointment though, she has been at loggerheads with Mr Lukwago over the management of KCCA, with the latter saying the former wants to be superior to him yet he is the political head of Kampala under the KCCA Act.

However, at the Friday consultative meeting, both agreed that the limited funding to KCCA has stalled many projects, which they said, if completed, would give Kampala a better look. The duo called for additional funding to KCCA to strengthen its financial base.
Mr Lukwago endorsed her demand, saying KCCA relies on taxes from the city but the revenue is not enough to develop the city to the required standards.

“If we get enough funding from the central government, we could be able to develop the city in the shortest time possible but since our only source is taxes, it heavily affects our operations. Even our tax system is not well operationalised. We need a reasonable budget to have each project covered to achieve development,” Mr Lukwago said.

Ms Kamya said Kampala City contributes 70 per cent to the revenue of the country and 60 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but decried the low funds which government allocates to KCCA.
However, she added this can be achieved only if all the city leaders respect each other and said animosity towards each other would frustrate the city’s development.

“If we could meet as a team and tell the President about our demands despite our political differences, it would help people benefit because if you hate him, he is the one who signs our cheque as KCCA,” she said.

However, the meeting was turned on its head when keynote speaker and senior lawyer Peter Mulira, during his presentation on governance of the city, recommended that the office of the Lord Mayor be abolished because it’s unconstitutional.

“Article 5(4) of the Constitution provides that Kampala City is supposed to be administered by the central government but having the lord mayor as the political head of the city contradicts the law. This is why there is power struggle in KCCA. Division mayors should be given their powers and I recommend that the authority be treated as a parastatal and be separated from the local government,” he said amid protest murmurs from the audience.

Division mayors charged at Mr Mulira’s recommendations, saying if the Lord Mayor’s post is abolished, they also will become irrelevant.

Mr Lukwago challenged Mr Mulira’s submission and referred him to the KCCA Act, which provides that the lord mayor is the political head of Kampala and that he is duly elected by the people. He said abolishing his office would be contradicting Article 1 of the Constitution which gives power to the people.

“If you abolish the lord mayor and then leave the division mayors, how will they be empowered? I am duly elected by the people of Kampala. The KCCA Act stipulates the role of every one and if we all follow this, there won’t be any problem. Let’s work in relation to the law to avoid such friction,” Mr Lukwago said.

Section 11 of KCCA Act states that the lord mayor is the political head of the capital city.

[email protected]