The Minister for Kampala, Betty Olive Namisango Kamya has hit back at Mukono Municipality legislator, Betty Nambooze and advised her to educate herself with the law before she makes inciting statements in the media.
Minister Kamya was Friday responding to statements uttered by MP Nambooze on Thursday in which she told a press conference that government was attempting to expand the borders of Kampala into the satellite towns of Mukono, Wakiso and Mpigi which will then be governed by a new entity called Kampala Metropolitan Authority.
Nambooze who is the shadow Minister for Local Government further claimed that there was a map showing the new Kampala territory and that Minister Kamya had secretly met with the Mayors of Mukono, Nansana, Wakiso and Mpigi to chart out a plan to implement this expansion.
The MP described the ‘plan’ as an attempt by government to steal the land belonging to Buganda kingdom.
However, Minister Kamya has refuted these claims and described them as misguided. She told journalist that it is clear that Nambooze made the statements from a misinformed view especially regarding the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Act of 2010.
According to Kamya, the Kampala Metropolitan Area is not a new formation since it is provided for in Sceitons 22 to 26 of the KCCA Act 2010. The same Act stipulates the functions of the Metropolitan Area.
Section 22 of the Act outlines the functions of Kampala Metropolitan Authority as; handling planning issues deleveloping a physical development plan, approving structure plans, planning major transport infrastructure and other utilities within the city and neighbouring districts of Mukono, Mpigi, Wakiso, among others.
“I know political leaders like Nambooze want to be seen as working, but they should research the information they pass on to the public. It is irresponsible not to do so,” Minister Kamya said during a press conference.
“She [Nambooze] is very well paid by the Central Government to hire researchers and perform her duty diligently,” she added.
Regarding the ‘secret’ meeting with local leaders, Kamya said that the meeting that MP Nambooze purports that took place at Pearl of Africa Hotel was instead a launch of a World Bank report on Greater Kampala’s economic development. Kamya says she and the leaders were invited to attend.
“There can be no secrecy about government functions because they will eventually come out anyway,” Kamya said.
Nambooze had also accused government of smuggling some clauses of the KCCA Act into the law and that the process of passing it was irregular, but Kamya disqualified this too.
“Such amendments go through Cabinet, and public consultations are made. This Act was passed by the 9th Parliament to which Nambooze was a member.
“She should have tabled her reservations to the Parliamentary Committee of she was not content. But she didn’t”.
Kamya warned political leaders against misguiding Ugandans, and explained that the decision to create a Kampala Metropolitan Authority had a lot to do with improving service delivery through better coordination between the different leaders.
At the same press event, Dr Kisamba Mugerwa, the Chairman of National Planning Authority revealed government has developed a Greater Kampala Economic Development Strategy which seeks to improve infrastructure, transform the business informal sector, boost tourism and create efficiency I service delivery.
“The problems affecting Kampala do not arise from the city itself but the people who commute from the satellite areas of Mukono, Wakiso and Mpigi. Therefore development needs to focus on these other areas,” Mugerwa noted.
He however stressed that the Strategy will not in any way affect the administrative boundaries of the Local Governments in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
