Court orders Bushenyi to institute service commission

PIC: Apollo Kakonge (left) who sued Bushenyi district leadership and the district chairman Jaffari Bassajjabalaba at the High Court. (Credit: Chris Mugasha)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

High Court judge Duncan Gaswaga has ordered leaders of Bushenyi district to constitute the district service commission. The order was given at Bushenyi Chief Magistrates' Court in Bushenyi district.  

Gaswaga was handling a criminal High Court session but put it on hold for some hours to resolve the issue of the district service commission.

Apollo Lee Kakonge, a resident, dragged the district leadership to the High Court after it failed to approve the names of members of the district service commission which had been approved by the former district council that was headed by former district chairman Willis Bashaasha.

The district has been running without a district service commission for two years, which has affected the service delivery.

Consequently, about sh3billion was reportedly sent back to the central government after the district failed to absorb it.

The contention has been on the commission members who include Lydia Rwakishaya (service commission chairperson), Nathan Behangana and Julius Ishungisa.

 "Let the commission commence business with immediate effect," ruled the judge, who also ordered the district to pay sh7m to Kakonge as court costs.

Before the order was given, Gaswaga cautioned the district: "I don't want to waste my time and blaming courts because the case is giving us a headache for no good reason."

Earlier, the district lawyer Charles Tumwesigye had pleaded with the judge to give them (district) some time to file more affidavits to prove the case.

"I am starting to get disappointed and I want to give you a decision because I read the mind of court," Gaswaga charged amidst feet stamping from the fully packed court room. "The public wants a service commission."

The current district council under the leadership of district chairman Jaffari Bassajjabalaba had refused to approve Rwakishaya, Behangana and Ishungisa who were appointed by former chairman Bashaasha's council.

Bassajjabalaba argued that Bashaasha's council that approved the three names did not have the required quorum. He went ahead to nominate other members of the commission to serve during his term of office who include; Scholar Ndyagambwaki, Joram Tibasiimwa, Susn Mbabazi and Ishungisa but it could not work since the Public Service Commission had approved that of Bashaasha.

Attempts by the district to outsource a district service commission from the neighboring districts hit a snag over the case in High Court and the public service commission.