Lukwago orders audit of markets, impeachment

Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has ordered audits into his 2013 impeachment process and the manner of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)’s acquisition and management of Usafi and Wandegeya markets.

In two separate letters dated September 5, Mr Lukwago instructed the KCCA director of internal audit, Mr Moses Bwire, to submit two reports to his office within one month.

“Pursuant to the provisions of Section 11 (1) (e) and (f), read together with Section 72 (2) (b) of the Kampala Capital City Authority Act 2011, you are hereby instructed to carry out a special value-for-money audit of all matters concerning the aforesaid botched impeachment of the Lord Mayor of Kampala, 2013 to-date,” one of Mr Lukwago’s letters reads in part.
Among the key areas he wanted to be investigated in the value-for-money audit for his botched impeachment are; the unresolved matters relating to the process from May 2013 to date; all related court litigations and their results; and all the expenses incurred by KCCA.

Concerning the expenses KCCA incurred in the impeachment process, Mr Lukwago is interested in the report capturing the remuneration of the members of Justice Catherine Bamugemereire-led tribunal that investigated him; the legal fees for the lawyers who prosecuted the cases, payments for Metropole Hotel, the venue for the protracted tribunal proceedings; and payments for Lake Victoria Serena Hotel where Justice Bamugemereire-led tribunal was housed to write the disputed report.

The KCCA tribunal led by Justice Bamugemereire, who is now heading the probe into land matters, headed the inquiry into whether the complaints that councillors had brought against Mr Lukwago then held water and established that there was a prima facie case for the impeachment process to proceed.

The expenditures of the commission that paved the way for the botched impeachment process of Lord Mayor Lukwago were not made public.

In its November 2013 report, the commission reported that the councillors would proceed to impeach Mr Lukwago on grounds of incompetence and failure to convene Authority meetings. On November 25, 2013, the councillors voted to remove Mr Lukwago from office in a process that court later ruled was void because the voting proceeded despite the presence of a court order stopping it.

Mr Lukwago denied all the accusations and dismissed the Bamugemeire report as a handiwork of a politically motivated process.
Mr Lukwago bounced back as Lord Mayor in the 2016 general elections following dramatic incidents that kept him out of office for most of his first elected term.

Probe into market deals
About Usafi and Wandegeya markets, the Lord Mayor wants the impending special audit to capture issues related to their management and administration of the markets; the allocation and ownership of lock-ups, stalls and open spaces; court cases; and the revenues generated since inception. The audit will also look into the court cases relating to the acquisition, administration and management of markets.

Asked about the audit process ordered by the Lord Mayor, KCCA spokesperson Peter Kaujju said: “Anybody can demand for accountability and the laws are very clear. So that can be done. Therefore, if the Lord Mayor has demanded for audits, his directive will be heeded by the audit department.”

[email protected]