Lukwago kicked out

By Juliet Waiswa and Simon Masaba

Kampala City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has been kicked out of office.

In a special council meeting chaired by the by Minister in charge of the Presidency and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Frank Tumwebaze, 29 councilors voted in favour of removing Lukwago. Only three councilors were against.

Policemen deployed at KCCA main gate.PHOTO/Nicholas Kajoba

Makindye Councilor, Allan Sewanyana, notified the chairperson that Lukwago had secured an injunction stopping the meeting but the minister said he had not received it.

Sewanyana who insisted that a court order be respected was however thrown out of the council meeting for attempting to cause chaos.  

Police have deployed heavily at City Hall and on all Kampala Streets following the mayor’s censure. MPs Latif Sebaggala, John Ken Lukyamuzi, Medad Ssegona and Moses Kasibante were thrown out of KCCA precincts.

MP Ssegona thrown out of KCCA premises. PHOTO/Nicholas Kajoba

Police Deputy Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, clarified that the deployment was not only for the council meeting but for other important activities taking place in Kampala.

Some of the activities, Onyango mentioned include East African Cooperation council of minister’s meeting, the re-launch of the national identity cards at Kololo and the trial of terror suspects at the High Court.

Lukwago’s impeachment follows the release of a tribunal report which cleared the process for his removal from office on grounds of abuse of office, incompetence, misconduct and misbehavior.

In May this year, 17 councilors led by Bruhan Byarunga petitioned minister Tumwebaze, for Lukwago’s removal from office, saying he was unfit to be mayor.  

“It is the overall finding of the Tribunal that the petitioners successfully proved eight of the twelve particulars pleaded,” Bamugemereire stated.

“The tribunal thus finds that on the basis of the standard of proof adopted earlier in this report, the petitioners have proved a prima facie case for the removal of Mr Erias Lukwago from the position of Lord Mayor of Kampala capital city,” she added.