Mbarara City Council councillors have petitioned the Local Government
Ministry accusing the city clerk of failing to facilitate their council
meetings and paying their allowances.
The 27 former Mbarara Municipal councillors contend that they have spent 18
months without attending a council meeting. They also accuse the City Mayor and
technical administrators at Mbarara city council of abandoning their
responsibilities.
They want the minister to investigate Mbarara city council administrators
among other issues for failing to conduct meetings for one and half years
whereas the law prescribes convening every two months in a year.
The councillors say that within the 18 months of not meeting they
have not received their 20% allowance entitlement off locally raised revenue
which amounts to over 200 Million Shillings.
Imam Kagiiko representing Nyamitanga Division says each councillor
is demanding 4.9 million shillings.
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Mbarara City Clerk Theo Tibihika said he was aware of the
petition, noting that they are processing payments for the councillors and they
were only being held up by usual bureaucracies.
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On the issue of council sittings, Tibihika said that they have not
taken place due to the legalities surrounding the city status.
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Last month, the Minister of Local Government Raphael Magezi
directed the Mbarara City Clerk to clear the councillors’ allowances for the 18
months since it was declared a city.
He said the money was released and they do not need council
sittings to be paid their money for ex-gratia and their money for monitoring,
they are not just entitled to sitting.
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The councillors have on several occasions boycotted council sitting
and sectorial committee meetings over unpaid allowances with the recent being
Bushenyi Ishaka Municipal council councillors refused to attend sectorial
meetings over allowances.
