Power struggles resurface as Lukwago, ED Buzeki appear before COSASE

KAMPALA - “Omuzimu gwe eteeka gukyatulondola,” Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago told reporters at Parliament on Wednesday afternoon who had waylaid him for an interview in the corridors. A Luganda phrase that loosely translates to “the ghost of the law still haunts us.”

Twelve years ago, it should be noted that Lukwago was controversially impeached by 25 councillors over alleged abuse of office in a process that was later deemed illegal by court.

The fallout came just two years after the transition from the Old Kampala City Council (KCC) to the present-day Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). 

At the time, Lukwago and the then-KCCA Executive Director Jennifer Musisi were locked in a fierce power struggle over control of City Hall.

Yet, despite clear provisions of the law, more than a decade later, questions over Lukwago’s role still linger on.

KCCA, COSASE session aborts

On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, a sitting of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), under the stewardship of the Vice Chairperson Allan Mayanja Ssebunya (Nakaseke Central, NUP), was forced to abort.

The engagement, which was graced by incumbent Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Hajjat Sharifa Buzeki, was meant to dissect Auditor General (AG) Edward Akol’s audit report for the year ended December 2024.

But it hit a wall when Lukwago disowned the report. Citing a lack of prior access, he asked to be excused from collective responsibility.

Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago

“I got to know of this matter, personally, yesterday late in the afternoon. As I was about to get out of office, I got to know of today's proceedings rather informally. That’s how it was brought to my attention,” he said.

Lukwago added that, in light of the above circumstances, he had been unable to adequately prepare for the session.

Legal concerns 

He further pointed out that the report submitted by KCCA management had not been processed and generated collectively, as required by law.

“It was a management response but was never presented to City Executive Committee (CEC) for consideration. Secondly, with all due respect to my ED, here we didn’t have any input in the same. You have seen my colleagues here; they are four. The only person who is not here is the Deputy Lord Mayor (Doreen Nyanjura).  We always have CEC meetings, even today we had scheduled a CEC sitting to deal with these issues,” said Lukwago.

Lukwago’s final concern centred on what he described as a broader institutional failure to systematise the processing of such reports. He strongly contested the assumption that audit responses should be prepared and submitted to Parliament solely by management, calling it a misinterpretation of the law.

“Under Section 57 (1) of the KCCA Act provides that the accounts of the authority shall be audited by the auditor general or by an auditor appointed by the auditor general,” he cited.

He added that, under subsection three of the same law, the Auditor General is required to submit the audited accounts of the Authority to Parliament, with copies sent to the Minister of Finance, the Minister for Kampala, the Authority itself (KCCA), and the relevant lower urban councils.

Additional recipients, Lukwago said, include the Kampala Capital City Local Governments Committee, the Local Government Finance Commission, the Inspector General of Government, and the Resident City Commissioner (RCC).

He explained that under Section 58 of the law, the Lord Mayor is mandated to nominate certified public accountants to form the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is then approved by the Council. Subsection 9 further mandates the Capital City PAC to examine the Auditor General’s reports.

“In Section 58 (10), the Public Accounts Committee shall submit its report to the authority and the Minister. The Minister shall lay the report before Parliament. In Subsection eleven, the Lord Mayor and Executive Director shall implement the recommendations of the Capital City Public Accounts Committee and report on action taken or to be taken on the recommendations on the persons prescribed in 57(3), which is Parliament,” Lukwago elaborated.

KCCA Executive Director, Hajjat Sharifa Buzeeki

Carry your cross

In light of those circumstances, he asked the committee to allow KCCA Executive Director, Hajjat Buzeki, to carry her cross.

 “If I may request Mr Chairman, I have no problem if that burden is now put on the shoulders of the accounting officer. And I am absolved of any responsibility. And it goes on record that the Lord Mayor is absolved and exonerated from any responsibility to account to Parliament insofar as the recommendations of the auditor general are concerned. I will ask you to be discharged, Mr Chairman, because I can’t force myself here,” Lukwago pleaded.

“I know incompetence is one of the grounds that can cause the impeachment of the Lord Mayor. I can be impeached on this ground. If one raised it and said he never reported to parliament on actions taken regarding the audit queries raised by the auditor general and recommendations, then I will have no answer,” he added.

While he said he had no intention of bogging down the committee’s work, he warned that his continued presence could complicate matters.

“For me, I am amenable to any decisions being made. If I am allowed to make comments off the cuff on the presentation by the ED, I have no problem. But it will look ugly, and the picture which will come out is that I am fighting my dear sister (Buzeki), which would not be so good. It does no harm for us to do internal harmonisation even if I am not here. She can present this and we own it up,” Lukwago intimated. “I would comfortably sit here Mr. Chairman, and say we have sat as an institution; the accounting officer is going to present our position and sit back….” he added.

KCCA ED Buzeki responds
 
After more than an hour of back-and-forth, Bukimbiri County MP Eddie Kwizera (NRM) moved a motion to adjourn the meeting, allowing Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and KCCA management, led by ED Hajjat Sharifa Buzeeki, time to reach a consensus. 
Workers MP Charles Bakkabulindi likened the relationship to keeping Lukwago to a forced marriage, but Buzeki assured the committee that a discussion would be held to iron out outstanding issues.

COSASE Vice Chairperson Allan Mayanja Ssebunya (NUP) ruled that the committee would communicate a new date for the session, but emphasised that it would not exceed five days.