Water levels for major water bodies across the country have gone up in recent months from 12.00 meters in 2019 to above 13.4 meters, in the case of Lake Victoria, a mark last recorded in 1964, while Lake Kyoga is projected to exceed the highest historical water level of 13.2 meters.
The rift between the councillors and the municipal leaders started after councillors rejected a budget proposal from the executive committee for purchasing road equipment worth 900 million, using funds raised from property tax. The bickering reached its peak last week, Thursday when councillors passed the budget in the absence of members of the executive committee.
The Minister for Local Government Raphael Magyezi has said his office is determined to fight cases of corruption which is overwhelming in the local Government.
On Thursday, during a debate held on Zoom that was organised by Kabarole Research and Resource Centre – KRC, and attended by hundreds of Kabarole residents and leaders, Justinian Niwagaba explained that civil servants in the elevated municipalities will remain with their jobs and work in the cities.
The local leadership led by the Municipality Mayor Godfrey Kayemba, have petitioned the Minister for Local Government Raphael Magyezi, demanding for discontinuation of Multiplex Alshamas Limited from continuing with the contract for Masaka central market over failure deliver the works on schedule.
He issued the directive on Thursday morning while touring the construction site of the school, which is being built in memory of over 160 people killed by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army-LRA in 2004.
On Friday afternoon, the State Anti-Corruption Unit together with other agencies including the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government Ben Kumumanya stormed the municipality and held a meeting which later turned into an investigation panel with several individuals submitting evidence as others shared their grievances.
Although the offices were previously closing at 7 p.m., Our reporter found the officers operating way beyond 10 p.m. One of the lower-level staff who preferred anonymity says that at night, officers keep busy looking into their documents. “The municipality is hot these days,” the staff said.
“The Chairperson has now threatened to resign with immediate effect, if the CAO is not transferred with immediate effect. The purpose of this communication therefore, is to inform you of the conflict between the Chairperson LCV and the CAO”, the RDC’s letter concludes.
Jackie Kiiza Kemigisha, the Principal Urban Officer in the Local Government Ministry, said the meeting came up with four resolutions and resolved to implement them with immediate effect in the interest of better service delivery in the municipality.
The district estimated collections worth 376 million Shillings in the financial year 2019-2020, with quarterly allocations of 94 million Shillings. However, only 72 million Shillings was realized in the first quarter of the year, creating a shortfall of 22 million Shillings.
In the findings presented to the District Plan on Wednesday, the committee discovered that 16 million shillings had not been accounted for and there were forgeries of documents.
According to a decision communicated by Jennifer Namuyangu, the State Minister for local government, cabinet, however, dropped the ideas; of either turning the whole of Masaka district into a city or annexing peri-urban sub neighbouring counties of Kingo and Kalungu; located in Lwengo and Kalungu districts respectively for Masaka municipality to qualify for a city.
At the centre of the growing controversy is the municipality Mayor Godfrey Kayemba, who prefers to extend into the urban areas that fall under Lwengo and Kalungu districts, a proposal that Masaka LCV Chairperson Jude Mbabali is against.
The accusations come at the time the Katakwi residents are accusing their counterparts in Napak of alleged eviction at the border. The Iteso community claims that more than 300 people have been evicted by the Karamojong in the villages of Kaithelem and Okameta. They also noted that some of their houses were burnt, forcing them to stay in camps, among other issues.
