Legislators pass KCCA budget amidst drama
MP Odo Tayebwa (Bushenyi/Ishaka Municipality), Kampala minister Frank Tumwebaze and John Simbwa (Makindye East) chat shortly after the passing of the KCCA budget at Parliament yesterday. PHOTO BY GEOFFREY SSERUYANGE
What you need to know:
Opposition says there wasn’t a fully constituted authority to pass the budget but minister Tumwebaze insists the KCCA Act allows him to take action.
Parliament- There was a four-hour stand-off in Parliament yesterday as MPs clashed over the Kampala Capital City Authority budget when it emerged that the political leadership did not participate in its approval as is required by law.
Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga tabled a minority report questioning the legality of the authority’s budget proposal, the manner in which it was generated by Executive Director Jennifer Musisi and approved without a fully constituted authority.
The Minister for the Presidency, Mr Frank Tumwebaze, is said to have used his powers as overseer of KCCA to have the budget proposal approved and tabled in Parliament.
But when Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah put the matter to a vote, the NRM majority voted to throw out the report.
Mr Mpuuga had earlier presented to the House an addendum report to the main report of the Presidential Affairs Committee on the Presidential Affairs ministerial policy statement where he said the budget was a “handwork of an individual” and does not carry the aspirations of the people of Kampala through their elected representatives.
“A budget proposal is generated and approved by the authority under Section 49 of the KCCA Act. Todate, no committee is in place and functional,” he noted.
But Mr Tumwebaze said in the absence of the authority, the Act gives him certain authority.
“Under section 79 of the KCCA Act, I am supposed to give directives to the authority and where the authority fails; I direct them in writing to do the work. The authority did not sit because of legal challenges which we are trying to sort out,” he said.
Rwampara County MP Vincent Kyamadidi also defended the minister, saying: “Our job as Parliament is to appropriate money so that KCCA gives services.”
Mr Oulanyah adjourned Parliament for one hour to allow time for consultations.
Parliament later resumed but some Opposition MPs walked away after the minority report was rejected.
Mr Mpuuga, who later addressed the press said: “Parliament has not thrown out this report because it lacked merit but it was politically thrown out. Accountability has been sacrificed at the altar of political expedience by the vast majority of the ruling party,” Mr Mpuuga said.
On suggestions by MPs that a meeting be convened with the Lord Mayor, Mr Tumwebaze said: “There are many cases in court which they took there. Let them show us a gesture of dialogue by withdrawing the cases then we sit and agree where the political leadership of Kampala should stop...”
