CEOs should take over LC property
Jan 26, 2006
SIR — I have received the letter from the local government minister about the dissolution of local councils.
SIR — I have received the letter from the local government minister about the dissolution of local councils. The letter, dated December 23, 2005 and addressed to all district chairmen and mayors informs them of the legal status of the
lifespan of the existing local councils. It also appeared in the New Vision of January 6 and 9, 2006. The minister has advised that no meetings should take place during campaign time — after the nomination day, and even after elections until May 11 unless there is absolute necessity to do so. During this period, the executive committees and chief executive officers will run the business of councils, the minister has directed.
I wish to draw the minister’s attention to the fact that local councils exist by article 176 of the constitution. Section 10(1) of the Local Government Act 1997 states, “A Council shall be the highest political authority in the area of jurisdiction of the Local Government and shall have legislative and executive powers to be exercised in accordance with the constitution and this Act.†If I have understood the minister properly, he seems to suggest that all these powers have not been vested in the executive committees, which have had running battles with their councils.
Members of the executive committee who are just a small fraction of their councils could have started harassing the chief executive officers to implement some things which Council could not approve of because they are likely to attract litigation against Council.
In the case of Mbale Municipal Local Government Council, save for two members, the rest, including the mayor, are candidates and are using Council facilities in their campaigns. A most recent case can be cited when the mayor directed the town engineer not to subject him to the procedure of acquiring the Council’s trucks whenever he wanted them for personal use. It is therefore my prayer that councils and Parliament continue normally, just like in 2001 and that all Council properties be handed over to the chief executive officers in accordance with section 65 (2) (f) and 66(2) (f) of the Local Government Act 1997 during this period of campaign.
Davis Mwaule
Speaker
Mbale Municipal Council
lifespan of the existing local councils. It also appeared in the New Vision of January 6 and 9, 2006. The minister has advised that no meetings should take place during campaign time — after the nomination day, and even after elections until May 11 unless there is absolute necessity to do so. During this period, the executive committees and chief executive officers will run the business of councils, the minister has directed.
I wish to draw the minister’s attention to the fact that local councils exist by article 176 of the constitution. Section 10(1) of the Local Government Act 1997 states, “A Council shall be the highest political authority in the area of jurisdiction of the Local Government and shall have legislative and executive powers to be exercised in accordance with the constitution and this Act.†If I have understood the minister properly, he seems to suggest that all these powers have not been vested in the executive committees, which have had running battles with their councils.
Members of the executive committee who are just a small fraction of their councils could have started harassing the chief executive officers to implement some things which Council could not approve of because they are likely to attract litigation against Council.
In the case of Mbale Municipal Local Government Council, save for two members, the rest, including the mayor, are candidates and are using Council facilities in their campaigns. A most recent case can be cited when the mayor directed the town engineer not to subject him to the procedure of acquiring the Council’s trucks whenever he wanted them for personal use. It is therefore my prayer that councils and Parliament continue normally, just like in 2001 and that all Council properties be handed over to the chief executive officers in accordance with section 65 (2) (f) and 66(2) (f) of the Local Government Act 1997 during this period of campaign.
Davis Mwaule
Speaker
Mbale Municipal Council