Pallisa district council resumes a year later

PIC: John Michael Okurut, the LC5 of Pallisa, and Joseph Maira Mukasa, the district chief administrative officer during the council meeting on Thursday. (Credit: Lawrence Okwakol)

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

PALLISA - The long awaited district council sessions, which were suspended in February 2017, resumed on Thursday with John Michael Okurut, the district chairperson, calling for reconciliation and forgiveness.

Okurut explained that Pallisa district council went on forced leave after area MP Jacob Opolot went to the civil division court, challenging the decision of Parliament to retain Kibale in Pallisa district and not Butebo.

"We lost a lot of time, which has forced our district to lag behind in budgeting and approving staff structures," Okurut said.

Emmanuel Odele, the district speaker, on the other hand said he could not call council sittings because he hails from Opwateta sub-county, which was in the disputed Kibale county.

When New Vision reached Opolot for a comment, he declined to comment on the issue, saying he could not give his opinion in the matter that is still in court as he filed a notice in the Court of Appeal, following his dissatisfaction on the ruling Lady Lustice Margaret Oumo Oguli of the Uganda High Court made.

"But everybody knows is that Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga stayed away from rules of procedure of Parliament when she took a decision with no quorum in the house," Opolot said.