Kampala mayor to be elected among councillors - new Bill

By Moses Mulondo

Government has drafted a Bill which seeks to amend the KCCA Act to provide for the election of Kampala Lord Mayor among the councillors.

The Kampala Capital City Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2015, also seeks strengthen the authority of the central government in the administration of the city by giving more powers to the minister for Kampala to be the political head of the city and the Lord Mayor only remains with legislative powers.

"The election of the Lord Mayor is not removed. It’s only the mode of election being proposed to change. According to the KCCA Act, currently the Lord Mayor acts as the speaker of the council. He convenes and chairs council which an LC 5 chairman of a district does not. Unlike in a district The Lord Mayor doesn’t form a government with an executive committee just like it is in a local government or district. He is the head and therefore speaker of council. So being the speaker he/ she has to be elected by the council and remain accountable to the council just like it is for speaker of parliament. It was this fusion of roles that made governance a bit cumbersome," Frank Tumwebaze minister for Kampala explained.

The current KCCA vests power in the Lord Mayor to be the political head of the city.


The Bill also seeks to create an expanded Metropolitan Kampala city which includes the neighbouring districts of Mukono, Wakiso, and Mpigi.