City leaders should stop wrangling
Aug 05, 2011
A fierce fight was on Tuesday reported between the Rubaga councillors and the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) law enforcement personnel after the councillors led by Mayor Joyce Ssebugwawo demonstrated, denying other workers entry to the division offices.
A fierce fight was on Tuesday reported between the Rubaga councillors and the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) law enforcement personnel after the councillors led by Mayor Joyce Ssebugwawo demonstrated, denying other workers entry to the division offices.
This was triggered off after KCCA reportedly blocked the municipality accounts.
On Wednesday, Mubarak Munyagwa, the Kawempe division mayor, led another demonstration over similar grievances.
The Nakawa council leaders have also threatened similar action. Besides the dispute between the city division leaders and the KCCA Executive Director, Jennifer Musisi, there is also another row raging between the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, and the executive director.
The row between Musisi and Lukwago appears to be over role disparity. The Lord Mayor, the political head of the Authority, believes Musisi is usurping powers of the political leaders.
The escalating conflicts between the city’s elected political leaders and the executive director are unfortunate.
Obviously, one of the causes of these conflicts is the fact that there is a new legal framework for the city and both the political leaders and executive director have different interpretation and understanding of the new city law.
The decision taken to give the Capital City a special status was a step in the right direction.
However, if the current wrangles between the elected leaders and the executive director are allowed to continue, it will bog down the operations of the KCCA and directly affect service delivery.
The executive director and the elected leaders ought to hold dialogue to resolve their disagreements.
Alternatively, the minister responsible for Kampala should urgently convene a meeting to discuss the contentious issues and bring about harmony.
The executive director has a role to play just like the elected leaders. There is no reason the political leaders and the executive director should be fighting.
This was triggered off after KCCA reportedly blocked the municipality accounts.
On Wednesday, Mubarak Munyagwa, the Kawempe division mayor, led another demonstration over similar grievances.
The Nakawa council leaders have also threatened similar action. Besides the dispute between the city division leaders and the KCCA Executive Director, Jennifer Musisi, there is also another row raging between the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, and the executive director.
The row between Musisi and Lukwago appears to be over role disparity. The Lord Mayor, the political head of the Authority, believes Musisi is usurping powers of the political leaders.
The escalating conflicts between the city’s elected political leaders and the executive director are unfortunate.
Obviously, one of the causes of these conflicts is the fact that there is a new legal framework for the city and both the political leaders and executive director have different interpretation and understanding of the new city law.
The decision taken to give the Capital City a special status was a step in the right direction.
However, if the current wrangles between the elected leaders and the executive director are allowed to continue, it will bog down the operations of the KCCA and directly affect service delivery.
The executive director and the elected leaders ought to hold dialogue to resolve their disagreements.
Alternatively, the minister responsible for Kampala should urgently convene a meeting to discuss the contentious issues and bring about harmony.
The executive director has a role to play just like the elected leaders. There is no reason the political leaders and the executive director should be fighting.