Who qualifies for the title of ‘mayor’?

Nov 05, 2008

Last week, Kira town councillors stripped the LC3 chairman, Mamerito Mugerwa, of the title of ‘mayor’. Local Government minister Kahinda Otafiire recently warned division chairmen in Kampala district, especially Godfrey Nyakana, against using the title ‘mayor’. So who should use the title?

Last week, Kira town councillors stripped the LC3 chairman, Mamerito Mugerwa, of the title of ‘mayor’. Local Government minister Kahinda Otafiire recently warned division chairmen in Kampala district, especially Godfrey Nyakana, against using the title ‘mayor’. So who should use the title? Moses Thenge examines

Where did the title originate?
It started in the first century A.D. It was composed of two German words, nord and dome meaning “Judge of Murderer”. When Germanic tribe of the Franks conquered Gaul, they were so captivated by the Gaul culture that they latinised the words nord and dome to become domus.

In the meantime, in Rome, the administration of Palatine Hill, the Caesar’s residence became the responsibility of major domus who was later called major Palatii. Latin gave way to French and major palatii became known as moire dupalais (mayor of the palace).

The responsibilities of the mayor included administering justice, state affairs and commanding armies.

With the introduction of municipal government in France, each urban authority was headed by an official initially called governneur rayaux.

It is said that in the 12th century King Henry 11(1133-89) of England was so fascinated by the French institutions that he introduced the office of the Mair. The title meant chief magistrate of a town who was known as reeve in English. As time went by, the spelling of maire changed to mayor.

The first English mayors were by royal appointment for life. With the emergence of municipal governments, the office was relinquished from royal gift and London was allowed by King John in 1213 to choose its mayor.

What is in a name?
The mayors of London, York, Belfast and Cardiff are addressed as the “Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor.” This title originated from the days of Sir Richard Whittington between 1400 and 1419 who was also a privy councillor. By virtue of his latter position he was entitled to be addressed as the Right Honourable.

The title of ‘Lord Mayor’ has since 1892 only been used by the Mayors of London and York. In other cases it has been given by the sovereign as a mark of distinction to the mayors of a few important cities. These other lord mayors are addressed as the “Right Worshipful, the Lord Mayor.” Mayors who are not ‘Lord’ are addressed as “The Right Worshipful, the Mayor.”

The deputy mayor does not enjoy the honorifics of the mayor. He or she is simply referred to as Mr. Deputy Mayor regardless of their gender.

In Uganda, however, most deputy mayors also use the honorifics of the mayor. The term mayoress is peculiar to England, Wales and former British colonies although the office of mayoress does not exist. A mayoress is appointed to enhance the respectability of the mayor. If the mayor is married, his wife becomes mayoress. However, if the mayor is a widower, his daughter, sister, cousin, friend or best friend’s wife can be chosen provided she is not a councillor and immature.

It comes with the territory
From 1830, occupying the office of mayor was a reward. Mayors met the expenses of their offices. Mayors had to pay the salaries of the town clerk and coroner.

Therefore, one of the qualifications of any potential mayor was they had to be able to meet the expenses in the office.

Once elected to office, every English mayor strives to relinquish the office with dignity. This contrasts with some of their Ugandan counterparts who are involved in scandals.

Because being a mayor was so expensive, in some towns gentlemen who qualified refused to take the office. This led to the introduction of fines for refusing to be mayor. In 1776 it was £400. Mansion House, the residence of the Lord Mayor of London, was built with money from such fines.

When universal suffrage was introduced during the 20th century, it created councillors from working men who also aspired to become mayors. However, their challenge was inability to meet the expenses of the office.

To overcome this problem, an allowance for mayors was introduced. The decision was met with resistance. For example, in 1930 when Chesterfield Town Council made an allowance of £300 for the mayor, a councillor moved a vote against this proposal saying such an allowance would give the impression the mayor was receiving money from the state while unemployed. In contrast, in Uganda mayorship is viewed as a means of livelihood.

A British mayor is respected. Therefore, care is taken to choose somebody with a good background. However, in Uganda, even one with a criminal record can be elected because of the gullibility of voters.

The British local government is known as mayor-in-council system. This means the mayor also has to preside over council meetings. Many former British colonies in Africa also use the mayor-in-council system.

The quality of a mayor reflects the councillors who elect him. Voters are responsible for electing councillors of high quality.

The writer has 16 years of experience in local government in Uganda, Kenya, Swaziland and the UK. He is the Human Resources Manager of Kakira Sugar Works (1985) Ltd.

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