Lukwago wants KCCA bill recalled from Parliament

City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has implored Parliament to send the Kampala Capital City Amendment Bill, 2017 back to cabinet, arguing that its lacks merit.
Mr Lukwago was on Tuesday appearing before the Committee on Presidential Affairs chaired by Ms Jesca Ababiku (NRM-Adjumani) to submit his views on the bill.

He appeared with all the Authority councillors and presented what he said was a common position.
“We are strongly opposed to the bill and indeed a resolution was passed by the Authority in a formal sitting in June 2017 to the effect that the minister for Kampala do henceforth cause the bill to be recalled from Parliament,” said Mr Lukwago.

Mr Lukwago’s submission angered Col (rdt) Fred Mwesigye who accused him for attempting to waste committee time, by trying to discuss something he was ‘totally opposed to.’
However, Lukwago maintained his stand, saying he was presenting a common position by the elected leaders of the authority and not his personal views.
He warned Parliament beforehand that if they go ahead and pass the bill in its present statutes, they will seek legal redress.

“We strongly implore and beseech Parliament to take this bill back to cabinet because if passed in its present state, we shall challenge it,” he said.
Ms Ababiku cautioned all stakeholders against handling the matter with sentiments, saying that what was important is to find a solution for the better governance of the Capital City.
“Let us put emotions aside, we are all stakeholders in this country we should not be driven by emotions,” Ms Ababiku said.

According to Mr Lukwago, the bill by the line minister Beti Kamya, is ill-intended and a mere replica of an earlier amendment, tabled by her predecessor, Frank Tumwebaze in 2015.
He says that since the bill intends to trim the powers of the Lord Mayor and make the Minister, the Political Head of the Authority, it den-franchises city voters.
Meanwhile, Lukwago says that even before the bill is processed, the administrative structure of the Authority has already been operationalised, with the minister as a political head in the Authority’s organogram.

The bill currently being processed by Parliament seeks “to provide for the Lord Mayor to be elected by the Council from the councillors; to clarify the roles of the Lord Mayor [and] to rationalise the provisions relating to the Metropolitan Physical Planning Authority with the structure and provisions relating to the Capital City Authority and related matters.”

The bill also states that it is erroneous to provide for the Mayor to have executive powers and as the “political head of the Capital City yet Kampala Capital City is administered by the Central Government where the minister should be the political head with executive powers.

The Lord Mayor, under section 11 will perform ceremonial duties, among them “presiding over all meetings of the council, to host foreign and local dignitaries on behalf of the Authority and the Capital City; promote the Capital City as a Tourist and investment destination and to represent, support and promote the business and residents of the Capital City Authority.”
The Executive Director will be relieved of responsibility for the management of all public funds of the Authority.

Mr Lukwago’s major contestation is that the bill did not take a consultative path before it was presented to Parliament and thus, it contains a biased approach in trying to cure problems created by the government itself.

He wants the government to fulfil the promises on dialogue which was envisaged as the solution to end internal woes at City Hall.
He also argues that the current KCCA Act should be subjected to a Constitutional test and have its provisions interpreted before any amendment can be done.

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