City councillors demand sh20m monthly salary

Some of KCCA councillors in a group photo with President Yoweri Museveni last year. File/Photo

Councillors from the urban divisions of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) have petitioned the minister for Kampala Beti Kamya demanding for an emolument increment.

The urban divisions include: Makindye, Kawempe, Nakawa, Rubaga and Central.

They said the increment would help them monitor government and the authority's development programmes.

The councillors under the Kampala Urban Councillors' Forum lodged the petition to the minister during a monthly meeting at the minister's office in Kampala on Tuesday.

Leonard Kazinga the chairman of the forum argued that their pay should be reviewed since they play an oversight role similar to that of MPs.

"Some of us monitor programmes in constituencies bigger than those of some legislators," he said.

Bruhan Byaruhanga a male councillor for Kyambogo University said the increment was long overdue.

"Standards of living have tremendously gone up over the years and pressure from the constituencies really necessitates an increment," he explained.

Kassim Ddungu a representative from Kyanja, Nakawa division noted that the current emoluments were set by the former Kampala minister Kabakumba Matsiko.

"There is a need to review the emoluments of the councillors in order for them to deliver services well," he said.

"We should also be allowed to set emoluments similar to those of MPs. If they get sh20m, I think we are also entitled to sh20m," Eriaza Katewera a councillor for Kampala central division, said.

In 2012, the Ministry of Public Service approved that all KCCA urban division councillors were entitled to sh3.5m.

In her response, Kamya promised the councillors to handle their petition.

The commissioner for urban administration in the local government ministry, Charles Katarikawe warned the councillors against commercialising their positions.

In the same meeting the councilor also reported to the minister that their divisions were riddled with corruption, incompetence and political witch-hunt.

They also noted that it was difficult for them to deal with a wide range of issues such as garbage and potholes that have defined the city's slummy status for the last two decades.

Kassim Ddungu said the roads were in very poor condition partly because the funds allocated to the sector have been swindled and or companies allocated to do maintenance work have no capacity to carry it out.