Masaka City Leaders Tasked to Account for Public Assets

The interim leadership of Masaka city is facing a big task to account for all public assets that were allocated to private individuals in the area.

  

The town has lost much of its public assets and pieces of land to private individuals. This has presented the new city administration with a difficult challenge of finding space for its proposed developments.

The lost assets include among others; the Mayor’s Gardens, the Children’s Park, Masaka Bus Park, Masaka Public Library and Women’s Resource Center, Kkumbu forest reserve, Transit Parking yard at Kyabakuza and Old Kkumbu estates.

Others are Masaka golf course, Bwala public playgrounds, Masaka Recreation grounds, the Municipality town yard and several green belt spaces and plots within the central business area. 

Florence Namayanja, the Member of Parliament for Bukoto East says that she has started a campaign to demand accountability of all public properties that were under the management of Masaka Municipal council. 

Namayanja says despite acquiring the long-awaited city status, Masaka may fail to expand its physical infrastructures due to lack of public land.

She now wants the Ministry of Local Government to compel the outgoing Masaka municipality leadership to present a clear register of all public assets in the area.

  //Cue in: “twatongozeza ekibuga….   

  Cue out; …. Wamu ne government.”// 

Namayanja explains that even at the inauguration of Masaka City on July 1st, the leaders could hardly find an ample space where they could place memorial souvenirs for the new status. She has challenged the city interim leadership to work towards reorganizing the town’s current physical outlook for purposes of making the attractive to descent.

 

   //Cue in: “twagala okulaba….   

  Cue out; ….eri green eyeyagaza.”// 

Mathias Mpuuga, the MP for Masaka Municipality wants the Ministry of Local Government to take a keen interest in the operations of the interim city leaders to avert further loss of public assets in the area.

He casts doubt in the interim leaders of Masaka city who were retained after the elevation from Municipal council, arguing that some of these may take advantage of the circumstances to continue with the abuse of power if they are not closely supervised by the authority.  //Cue in: “unfortunately the ….   

  Cue out;…..away with stealing.”//

  Luganda  

//Cue in: “omulimo omukulu…   

  Cue out; ….tubireke kyonna.”// 

Gerald Kawuma, the Chairperson of Mukungwe sub-county; which was annexed to the Masaka city indicates that much of land space in the incoming areas are privately owned, and will require the city authority to purchase it at a higher cost if they are to convert it for public use.

But Godfrey Kayemba, the interim Mayor of Masaka city indicates that some of these properties were lost under unavoidable circumstances.  He explains that while some were grabbed, the municipal council approved the sale of some to meet their budget obligations and pay court awards in litigation matters against the municipality.