Mpigi councillors move to impeach LC5 chairperson

Mpigi District councillors have started collecting signatures to push out of office the district chairperson, Mr Peter Claver Mutuluza.

The councillors accuse Mr Mutuluza of incompetence, disrespecting council resolutions and failure to monitor government programmes.

Mr Patrick Katende, the councillor representing workers, told the council presided over by speaker Rogers Ssejjemba on Thursday that in November last year, they resolved to reappoint Mr Fredrick Kirumira, the district service commission chairperson, to serve his last term but Mr Mutuluza proposed another person, Mr Jumah Bbosa.

This, he said, created a disagreement between the chairperson and councillors.

The debate to censure Mr Mutuluza comes at a time when the district is in the process of recruiting more than 30 staff to fill vacant positions in the health and education sectors.

Mr Godfrey Naalima, the Kituntu Sub-county councillor, said the move to censure Mr Mutuluza is intended to punish him.

“Since the elapse of the tenure of our service commission last year, there has been a push and pull between the district executive committee (DEC) and the district council over who should be appointed on the committee and as commission’s chairman,” he said.

The Mpigi District speaker, Mr Rogers Ssejjemba, urged councillors to formally petition so that the motion is put on the order paper in the next sitting.

“Two-thirds of the councillors’ signatures are required by law but I will also give the chairperson a fair hearing after which the winner will take the day,” Mr Ssejjemba said.

Mr Joseph Ssempijja, the councillor representing Buwama Sub-county, said the move to censure Mr Mutuluza is political and is “fuelled by some technical persons and the district speaker”.

Mutuluza speaks out
Mr Mutuluza told Sunday Monitor that councillors pushing for his censure have hidden motives.

“I know what’s behind this whole thing. They want me to bribe them since they receive little pay. Secondly, they wanted me to extort money from contractors and other service providers, which opinion I declined because this is corruption. How shall we manage to supervise these service providers when a we get money from them?” he alleged.

Mr Moses Kanyarutokye, the district chief administrative officer, said: “Even if the said names are cleared, it is not automatic that they will be immediately approved by Public Service since they must be interviewed.”

Mr Mutuluza, who is a former Member of Parliament for Mawokota North constituency became the Mpigi District Chairperson in 2016 after defeating the then office bearer John Mary Luwakanya.