Nakaseke stuck over location of district seat
Oct 26, 2006
IT appears the wrangle over where the headquarters of the newly-created Nakaseke District should be located is going to be around for some time.
By Frederick Kiwanuka
IT appears the wrangle over where the headquarters of the newly-created Nakaseke District should be located is going to be around for some time.
The 15 month-old wrangle pites one camp headed by gender minister Syda Bumba against another headed by the LC5 Chairman, Ignatius Koomu.
The Bumba camp wants the district seat at Butalangu while the Koomu camp wants it at Nakaseke, which is also the county headquarters.
The group that wins the battle will have their future political fortunes in the area boosted, and everyone involved seems to be aware of this. That is why neither camp is willing to let go. But amidst the bickering, the ordinary resident is the loser. The people have paid heavily in in terms of wasted time and resources, and they should be prepared to pay much more because there is no end in sight.
Already sh200m has been spent to construct an office block at Butalangu. But this cannot be utilised as the district offices because of a court injunction that followed a petition by the Koomu/pro-Nakaseke camp. Consequently, the infant district continues to pay sh16m per year in rent for the provisional headquarters at Kiwoko.
The office block was constructed at Butalangu because the site is favoured by the central government, and the ground-breaking ceremony was presided over by President Yoweri Museveni.
Bumba’s camp appears to have an upper hand in the struggle by virtue of having more local politicians and opinion leaders on their side. These include the NRM District Chairman, Amos Sempala Kigozi, and several councillors from most of the eight sub-counties.
Koomu, on the other hand, has the support of Sempala Mbuga, Bumba’s long time rival for the Nakaseke parliamentary seat, and Edward Sengoonzi, a State House employee who is nurturing ambitions to replace Bumba. Each camp see those in the other camp as a threat to their political future.
Bumba, who never supported Koomu in the last LC5 campaigns, has tactfully avoided open confrontation with the pro-Nakaseke group.
But it is an open secret in Nakaseke that she is operating from behind-the-scenes through her campaign managers, most of them councillors. Those in the Bumba camp are looking at having voters from all areas in district on their side. Their argument is that Butalangu is centrally-located and would serve all corners of the district equally.
The Koomu camp, whose political stronghold is in Nakaseke sub-county, base their argument on a July 21, 2005 communication from the Clerk to Parliament, A.
Tandekwiire, quoting a parliamentary resolution to the effect that Nakaseke District would have its headquarters at Nakaseke.
The resolution reads in part: “Nakaseke District consisting of Nakaseke County in the present Luweero District, having its headquarters at Nakasekeâ€. Both camps seem to have a point, which calls for intervention of a third party such as an external authority.
The opportunity came when President Museveni met the two warring sides last year and appointed a special committee headed by presidency minister Beatrice Wabudeya to study the issue. The committee met local leaders and collected memoranda in all the eight sub-counties. State House is yet to make the findings public.
Whatever the consequences, State House should break the silence and announce its stand on the saga for the interest of the ordinary peasant who is not party to the clash on egos. The longer it takes to resolve the conflict between the two camps, the harder it will be for the common man to reap the benefits of having a district.
The Koomu camp has indicated that it wants the people to decide, and that it will go with the popular view. However, it has not specified the method for determining the majority view.
kiwanukafrederick@yahoo.com
IT appears the wrangle over where the headquarters of the newly-created Nakaseke District should be located is going to be around for some time.
The 15 month-old wrangle pites one camp headed by gender minister Syda Bumba against another headed by the LC5 Chairman, Ignatius Koomu.
The Bumba camp wants the district seat at Butalangu while the Koomu camp wants it at Nakaseke, which is also the county headquarters.
The group that wins the battle will have their future political fortunes in the area boosted, and everyone involved seems to be aware of this. That is why neither camp is willing to let go. But amidst the bickering, the ordinary resident is the loser. The people have paid heavily in in terms of wasted time and resources, and they should be prepared to pay much more because there is no end in sight.
Already sh200m has been spent to construct an office block at Butalangu. But this cannot be utilised as the district offices because of a court injunction that followed a petition by the Koomu/pro-Nakaseke camp. Consequently, the infant district continues to pay sh16m per year in rent for the provisional headquarters at Kiwoko.
The office block was constructed at Butalangu because the site is favoured by the central government, and the ground-breaking ceremony was presided over by President Yoweri Museveni.
Bumba’s camp appears to have an upper hand in the struggle by virtue of having more local politicians and opinion leaders on their side. These include the NRM District Chairman, Amos Sempala Kigozi, and several councillors from most of the eight sub-counties.
Koomu, on the other hand, has the support of Sempala Mbuga, Bumba’s long time rival for the Nakaseke parliamentary seat, and Edward Sengoonzi, a State House employee who is nurturing ambitions to replace Bumba. Each camp see those in the other camp as a threat to their political future.
Bumba, who never supported Koomu in the last LC5 campaigns, has tactfully avoided open confrontation with the pro-Nakaseke group.
But it is an open secret in Nakaseke that she is operating from behind-the-scenes through her campaign managers, most of them councillors. Those in the Bumba camp are looking at having voters from all areas in district on their side. Their argument is that Butalangu is centrally-located and would serve all corners of the district equally.
The Koomu camp, whose political stronghold is in Nakaseke sub-county, base their argument on a July 21, 2005 communication from the Clerk to Parliament, A.
Tandekwiire, quoting a parliamentary resolution to the effect that Nakaseke District would have its headquarters at Nakaseke.
The resolution reads in part: “Nakaseke District consisting of Nakaseke County in the present Luweero District, having its headquarters at Nakasekeâ€. Both camps seem to have a point, which calls for intervention of a third party such as an external authority.
The opportunity came when President Museveni met the two warring sides last year and appointed a special committee headed by presidency minister Beatrice Wabudeya to study the issue. The committee met local leaders and collected memoranda in all the eight sub-counties. State House is yet to make the findings public.
Whatever the consequences, State House should break the silence and announce its stand on the saga for the interest of the ordinary peasant who is not party to the clash on egos. The longer it takes to resolve the conflict between the two camps, the harder it will be for the common man to reap the benefits of having a district.
The Koomu camp has indicated that it wants the people to decide, and that it will go with the popular view. However, it has not specified the method for determining the majority view.
kiwanukafrederick@yahoo.com