By Peter Sebulime
The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Council sitting has again flopped after the Office of the Clerk and the staff of the Technical Wing failed to appear as required.
The sitting was initially adjourned to December 5th and later rescheduled to reconvene today Monday December 9, 2019; however, council could not proceed since the clerks were nowhere to be seen.
The Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago, who was to chair the session, said he had no communication from either the Office of the Clerk or the Minister for Kampala Betti Kamya about their absence, describing it as an act of sabotage of his duties by KCCA officials.
Amidst controversy, the councilors agreed that the meeting be adjourned to a later date because they could not sit without the said officials who are mandated to take minutes in council.
Currently KCCA councillors are in the process of electing a speaker, deputy speaker and three cabinet ministers as required by the KCCA Amendment Act 2019, which President Museveni endorsed over the weekend, although it hasn’t been gazetted as required so as to make it operational.
By press time Councillors were still in the chambers deliberating on when exactly Council would resume and wondering whether to either continue with the issues on the order paper or handle matters of transition through the KCCA Amendment Act 2019.
However councillors later revealed that the KCCA Amendment Act 2019 won’t have any value to the people of Kampala and to them at large but rather increase the misuse of public funds.
Under the KCCA Amendment Act 2019, councillors have to elect the speaker, deputy and three ministers among themselves and the work of the Lord Mayor will be ceremonial.
Speaking to a number of councillors like the LC 5 councillor for Nakawa l Moses Okwera, Kennedy Okello from Nakawa II, they revealed that this law has been brought to fight the opposition councillors in the city, because it appears to empower councillors although their powers won’t be exercised.
This follows the anxiety of councilors today to come knowing that they are to elect their speaker today through the KCCA amendment act 2019 yet it hasn’t been gazetted now the lord mayor together with councilors have resolved to adjourn the KCCA sitting until 9th January to elect their speaker and they expect that by that time the law will be gazetted.
