Fort Portal mayor wants brand new vehicle

The Fort Portal Municipality mayor Rev Kintu Willy Muhanga has rejected a proposal by the office of the town clerk to repair the grounded Nissan Navara double cabin vehicle and reallocate it to the office of the mayor.

The vehicle was grounded after it was involved in an accident two years ago. The accident came hardly a year after the ministry of local government handed over the vehicle to the municipality on a loan.

Paul Omoko the Fort Portal municipal town clerk said his office had budgeted for sh47m to repair the vehicle this financial year.

However the Muhanga wants sh 47m to be used as top up to procure a brand new vehicle for his office at a tune of sh150m.

"The mayor's office does not have an official vehicle. I usually get stuck when I want to make field visits to monitor government programs" Muhanga said.

The mayor has been backed by his councillors who argue that acquiring a new vehicle will help to solve issues of constant repairs and breakdown of municipal vehicles.

Abel Tusiime a councillor from Njara Ward insists that repairing a grounded vehicle at sh47m is not relevant since the municipality has failed to repair other grounded vehicles that require minimal maintenance.

"This municipal council has in the past failed to repair vehicles which require just a battery replacement so thinking that the grounded mayor's vehicle will be repaired is like day dreaming" Tusiime said.

The town clerk insists that the municipality may not be in position to raise money for required to procure a new vehicle since it was not in the council budget before for this financial year but the councillors insist that where ends fail to meet, the municipality should acquire a bank loan to procure a new vehicle.

Willy Magezi the East Division chairperson advised that council auctions all its grounded vehicles to fundraise for the mayor's vehicle.