Lukwago backs division mayors on power sharing
Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago addresses journalists at his home in Wakaliga, a Kampala suburb, recently as Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana (Right) looks on. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA
Kampala- All division mayors should be given authority to enable them execute their duties efficiently without interference from Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the Kampala Lord Mayor, Mr Erias Lukwago, has said.
Mr Lukwago’s backing comes on the backdrop of demands by the mayors to have their own authority, which they say will give them powers to formulate and execute their budgets.
In an interview with Daily Monitor yesterday, Mr Lukwago said the current KCCA administrative setting allows urban councils to only identify priority areas for budget allocation by the technical team. The divisions are Kampala Central, Rubaga, Nakawa, Kawempe and Makindye.
“All these divisions are dysfunctional because they haven’t been given their powers to run the affairs in their areas.
What we want is the flow of power from KCCA to these divisions because they have accounting officers such as town clerks. This means that they could be accountable. Giving them their powers will help them work more efficiently,” Mr Lukwago said.
He said the KCCA Act should be internalised and set functions for each officer, adding that even his powers have been violated because of the controversy in the law.
The Lord Mayor said if the whole system is streamlined, there won’t be further bickering between city political leaders and the KCCA technical team because every one’s role will have been designated.
The Nakawa Divison mayor, Mr Ronald Nsubuga Balimwezo, said sometimes activities stall because of lack of enough funding from KCCA, which affects service delivery.
“As divison mayors, we need authority to enable us plan for the people in our areas because we know which areas to prioritise. The major problem we face is money which is released by the technical team and at times, it comes late, making us lag behind in development,” he said.
While touring divisions recently, the Minister for Kampala, Ms Beti Olive Kamya, acknowledged the fact that the KCCA Act has some irregularities, but said Parliament will soon come up with an amended Act, to stipulate the roles of the political and technical team at City Hall.
“I have just assumed office and I promise that we are going to look into the issues raised by Nakawa Divison in the petition because they are very important for not only Nakawa but Kampala city at large,” she said.d ensure accountablity.
