Locals beat up LC5 boss over new staff
Residents gather outside Mukono District headquarters before they attacked and beat up the district chairman and other officials. Photo By Jessica Sabano.
What you need to know:
Political. The residents accused the district boss of appointing new district staff yet his current term is ending in a week’s time.
Mukono. There was both drama and chaos at Mukono District headquarters on Thursday as angry residents raided offices of the LC5 chairman, Mr Francis Lukooya Mukoome, and beat him up together with the district Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr George Nturume.
The residents accused them of appointing new district staff yet Mr Lukooya’s current term is ending in a week’s time.
The time the residents struck, Mr Lukooya was holding a meeting in his office in which Mr Elvest Karuma was appointed the new chairman of the land board, replacing Mr Charles Ssemanda. Mr Ssemanda resigned before he contested for mayor.
The meeting was also to appoint other new members of the land board. The meeting appointed one person only identified as Kafeero to the district service commission.
The residents stormed the district chairman’s office at 10am when the council was due to open its sitting. The scared Mr Lukooya called councillors in his office and attempted to hold a meeting there.
This infuriated the residents who had been outside waiting for the council to start its meeting in the boardroom. They stormed the chairman’s office, pulled him out, including the CAO and other councillors.
The residents started pushing, pulling and raining punches on the district officials. They tore their clothes and pulled down Mr Lukooya’s photos, destroyed them and scattered them on the office floor.
One councillor, Mr Julius Ssemakula, said this was the last council sitting to be held this term and since this is Mr Lukooya’s last term, he wanted to fill the vacancies on the land board and district service commission.
“Mr Lukooya was right to appoint these staff though he is remaining with a few weeks to hand over,” Mr Ssemakula said.
He alleged the residents were mobilised by the newly elected leaders to block Mr Lukooya from appointing new office bearers and also disrupt the council proceedings so that no approvals are made.
Police and the Resident District Commissioner, Mr David Matovu, intervened and rescued the besieged Lukooya and his colleagues by locking them in the CAO’s office.
The council sitting was adjourned indefinitely.
