The Kampala City Parliamentary group led by the caucus Chairperson, Abdulatif Ssebagala, Moses Kasibante Allan Ssewanyana and Mubaraka Munyagwa has appeared before the Presidential Affairs Committee of Parliament expressing reservations on the 2015 KCCA Amendment Bill.
The caucus members told the committee that the bill should be thrown out since it was brought in bad faith with an ill motive backed by the egoism on the part of the Minister of Kampala.
The object of the bill is to amend the KCCA Act, 2010 to streamline and strengthen governance of the Capital City in accordance with article 5(4) of the constitution.
The bill seeks to provide for the Lord Mayor to be elected by the council from the councilors, to clarify on his role and the deputy, to rationalize the provisions relating to the Metropolitan Physical Planning Authority with the structure and provision relating to the Capital City Authority and for related matters.
“The City Parliamentary Caucus wishes to express its disapproval of both the Bill and the motive for its introduction in Parliament. The Bill comes right at the heels of a number of suspicious attempts to disfranchise the electorate in Kampala City among which is the notable Lukwago Tribunal, ” said Ssebagala.
According to the legislators, the Bill is undoubtedly an attempt at legislation engineered to deny the people of Kampala the opportunity to participate in the affairs of the administration of their city.
They said that the Bill before the Committee not only seeks to deprive the people of Kampala of their right to determine their leaders, but also to participate fully in the affairs of this administrative unit through their elected leaders.
“The Bill also seeks to make the Minister the political head of Kampala or practically the Lord of the Authority which in effect disenfranchises the people of Kampala. Ultimately, the people of Kampala on whose mandate the Mayor acts will be alienated from running their city,” Kasibante said.
They added that the Bill seeks to promote and legalize impunity on part of the Minister noting that the Bill for instance seeks to amend section 79 of the KCCA Act to make the Minister the political head of KCCA as well as assuming Executive and legislative powers of the Authority or Council.
“It is ridiculous for the Minister to propose, pass and implement her own policies, the Minister under section 79 of the principal Act has enough powers which so far she has failed to utilize.”
“The bill will render the Minister both the proposer and opposer of her own policies if she is to initiate policies and give guidelines to the Authority/Council while at the same time having powers to veto, rescind and vary resolutions from the same.”
