Minister Kamya directs Lukwago on council meetings

KAMPALA. Trapped in a cobweb of the current simmering political impasse at City Hall over management of city affairs, the Kampala Minister, Beti Kamya has directed the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago to resume council meetings, which she had previously suspended.

The minister’s suspension of council meetings was hinged on the fact that some of them were being convened ‘out of order’, a decision which city leaders strongly protested, accusing her of frustrating them.

In a letter dated August 10, a copy which Daily Monitor has seen, the minister asked the Lord Mayor to convene an Authority meeting to implement the resolutions of the harmonisation meeting which was held on July 24 to enable city leaders and the KCCA’s technical team bury the hatchet.

Last month’s meeting was triggered by a protracted power struggle between City Hall’s political wing headed by the Lord Mayor and the technical team headed by the executive director, Jennifer Musisi.

The meeting, which was convened by the Minister, Ms Kamya, resolved to end the impasse and embark on strategic plans to propel Kampala forward. It also resolved that the resolutions be sent to council for approval. The Lord Mayor heads KCCA’s council.

“…I urge you to urgently call an Authority meeting to adopt the resolutions of the meeting of July 24 which over 90 percent of councillors and the executive participated. Once adopted and implemented, Authority meetings should resume normally without mishap,” the minister wrote.

Although last month’s meeting was attended by majority of city leaders, Mr Lukwago snubbed it arguing that the Minister was out of order to chair the meeting yet he had sued her in Court for interfering with his legislative mandate as the Lord Mayor of the city.

He further alleged that although Justice Lydia Mugambe had quashed his botched impeachment in 2013 and ordered that his salary emoluments be paid, Ms Kamya blocked the payment.

“…the Lord Mayor is seeking for prerogative Orders of Court to restrain the Minister for passing off as the political head of Kampala, usurping the executives powers of the Lord Mayor and interfering with the Authority meetings. She can’t therefore facilitate a harmonization meeting as an impartial chair,” he wrote then.

But the minister faults Mr Lukwago for snubbing last month’s meeting, arguing that his presence would have added more value to the meeting hence making Kampala better.

Ms Kamya also reminded the Lord Mayor that if the current impasse at City Hall isn’t resolved, it can hurt the tax payer through poor service delivery.

In a telephone interview with Daily Monitor on Monday, Mr Lukwago confirmed receipt of the minister’s letter but he said that he would first study it before he responds.

“There are very many unresolved issues and that letter has very many controversies, I will first study it and respond appropriately,” he said.

Although Section 11 of the KCCA Act stipulates that the Lord Mayor shall be the head of Kampala City, Mr Lukwago accuses the minister of passing on as the head of the institution, something he argues, undermines him.

But Samuel Serunkuuma, KCCA’s deputy executive director, said that for Kampala to develop into a desired city, leaders must put their egos aside and work together.

“We are tired of admiring other cities yet our [Kampala] is still dirty. But if we put aside our differences, Kampala will be a better place,” he said.

The law

According to the Fourth schedule of the 2010 KCCA Act, the Lord Mayor shall convene every meeting of the Authority at a time and place as the Authority may determine, and the Authority shall meet for the discharge of business at least once in every three months.

However, the same schedule allows the Lord Mayor, at any time, to convene a special meeting of the council and shall also call a meeting within fourteen days, if he requested to do so in writing to each member at least fourteen working days before the day of the meeting.

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