Sembababule district Speaker Hajj Elias Kasozi, convened an emergency council session on Thursday to consider a petition to remove Robert Bamutoreine, the chairperson of the district standing committee of Finance, Planning and Administration and Wahabuh Kabaliisa, the chairperson of the Works, Technical Services and Water committee. They were accused of misconduct.
Sembabule L.C.V Chairperson Patrick Nkalubo, during the Emergency Council Session, He is the the Reason why two committe Chairperson were censured on Thursday
There was a bitter exchange amongst members of the Sembabule
district local government council over a motion for a vote of no confidence
against the chairpersons of standing committees.
Sembababule district
Speaker Hajj Elias Kasozi, convened an emergency council session on Thursday to consider a petition to remove Robert Bamutoreine, the chairperson of the district standing committee of Finance,
Planning and Administration and Wahabuh
Kabaliisa, the chairperson of the Works, Technical Services and Water committee. They were accused
of misconduct.
The petitioners led by Anitah Nyamwiza, the councillor for
Nabitanga Sub County accused the duo of making defamatory and derogatory
statements against the District Executive Committee and the personality
of the Chairperson Patrick Nkalubo, describing them as corrupt,
irresponsible and undeserving to hold leadership positions. The petition was signed by 19 out of 32 councillors.
In her
presentation, Nyamwiza told the council that they had evidence in form of audio clips in
which the duo defamed councillors and the district Chairperson using false
accusations. But the council session turned rowdy when a section of councillors stood up to protest the motion that sought to indict the two committee Chairpersons without giving them a chance to be heard.
The council was eventually turned into a forum for bitter
exchange when Jolly Kasande, the female councillor for Mabindo and Mijwala
sub-counties accused the Speaker of bias, questioning his decision to
allow a vote of no confidence without granting an opportunity to the accused
people to respond to the allegations in the petition.
Kasande argued that counteraccusations of corruption and
derogatory statements have severally been made by the different leaders in the
district, wondering why the Speaker had chosen to pick much interest in the two
chairpersons. She made the submissions amid bitter interjections from councillors
who were heckling down.
//Cue
in; “mpozi nga olukiiko…
Cue
out…nga gwe wamutandika.”//
Her submission stirred a heated debate which resulted
in altercations that prompted the Speaker to suspend the session for 30 minutes to allow the situation to calm down. Upon their return, a section of councillors led by Constance Anviko
and Julius Ssebugwawo demanded that the council proceeds to adopt the petition which they said
was going to discipline errant members.
//Cue
in; “kubanga teyavuma…
Cue
out…elimination method.”//
The District Speaker Elias Kasozi ruled that he was left
with no option but to go with the preference of the majority councillors,
thereby allowing a vote of no confidence which was successfully conducted
against the two committee Chairpersons.
However, after his censure, Wahab Kabaliisa lashed out at the Speaker, blaming him for allowing the executive
to usurp his powers, by accepting to call for an emergency council without justifiable
reasons.
According to him, they were being witch-hunted for
questioning some of the irrational decisions of the district executive. Kabaliisa
indicated that they were going to seek legal guidance on how to deal with the controversial censure.
//Cue
in; “nzikiriza nti wayinza…
Cue
out…ensonga zaffe.”//
Despite the pleadings for a fair hearing, the Speaker advised
the censured committee chairpersons to seek redress from courts of law if they
are dissatisfied with the decision of the council.
