Municipal councillors grill mayor, town clerk over taxi park money

Mbarara Municipality Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi and his deputy town clerk, Richard Mugisha felt the wrath of Municipal councillors on Monday when they were  told to explain who granted them permission to reduce the Mbarara taxi park and bus park fees.

It should be noted that the Mbarara Taxi Park tender was awarded at a reserve price of sh16m per week for five years to Mbarara United Taxi Operators Cooperative Society.

These have been paying well until last year in April when Kakyebezi reported to council that they reduced the money to sh11m without the approval of council.

Deputy Town clerk Richard Mugisha explaining as the Mayor Kakyebezi looks on

 
 
Since then councilors have been tasking Kakyebezi and the town clerk to produce letters from the solicitor general that warranted them to reduce the money to sh11m as they have been claiming to have acquired clearance from the solicitor general but these letters have not been availed up to now.

On Monday morning, during a heated council meeting, councillors asked for an adjournment if Kakyebezi and his team refuse to table those letters.

Betty Tigefera, a councillor representing Kakoba division prayed that technocrats and  Kakyebezi should table all the paper work regarding how the money for Taxi parks was reduced without council's resolution.

"Despite the fact that there was a presidential directive to remove daily taxation, these people had reduced our money from sh16m to sh11m,  for the bus park they had reduced it from sh9m to sh7m and there is no write up to that effect, so how shall we demand for our money,  verbally?

I want the technocrats led by  the town clerk and our mayor before we proceed to bring us all the letters pertaining this matter" Tigefera said. 

Godfrey Tumusime, a councillor representing Kicwamba ward in Nyakayojo division also echoed the same that before they precede, deputy town clerk Mugisha and Kakyebezi should first avail them all the letters from council's lawyer, Solicitor General on how they agreed to reduce the money without council's resolution.

"Who gave you the permission to reduce the money, our powers as council have been usurped by a clique of people which we shall not allow, I pray Mr. Speaker that this house be adjourned until these people avail us the documents because in the finance committee, the chairman was here crying that they have always asked for these documents but they could not be availed, if you received this money we want to know."Tumusime said.

In defence, Kakyebezi requested councillors to be patient and avail the finance committee with a file containing all the documents within a period of one week, however this was vehemently rejected by councillors before they requested him to sit down.

Nobert Samsu, youth councillor representing Nyamitanga submitted that; "Procedurally when council requests for a document then you don't push it to the committee, as councillors are requesting for the various documents, let them be provided and be laid on your table."

 Speaker Tabyoba tasked the deputy town clerk, Mugisha to explain the whereabouts of the documents, in his response he stated that there are various circulars pertaining  to the matter right from 2013 when the president's office wrote, and one in  2017 and the third one of November 2018.

We have wrote to the Solicitor General for guidance and he has not responded but all the correspondences are available but it might take us time to go and retrieve those documents but they are available and are public documents"

The speaker interjected and asked Mugisha to stop lying to council.  Tabyoba declined to grant an adjournment but ruled that Mugisha should avail the documents before council ends. By press time the council meeting was still going on.