Don’t look at us as enemies, Lukwago tells Museveni

It is not late for us to start on the foundation to revamp Kampala if there is good will on the part of the sitting government or if they are not vindictive.

Are you then ready to work with the Executive Director of KCCA this time?

The Executive Director is an employee of the institution with a mandate while I am the political head. Our roles are very different and our powers never overlap. There is some misinterpretation of the law as some people say the powers of the Lord Mayor was stripped off and vested into the Executive Director which is all meant to whittle down the influence of the office of the Lord Mayor. For instance the Lord Mayor has got the powers to preside over the entire institution considering section 11 (1e) where it says ‘the Lord Mayor shall preside over the authority in designing strategies and programmes for the development of the capital city’ which presupposes that the Lord Mayor is the overall head and president of Kampala city.

Certainly, elevating the position of Executive Director to that of the Lord Mayor is a discretion and abuse of law. I feel irritated when people term it as ego when I fight for power. I went to the polls to get power so that I can deliver on the promises I made. So once the powers are taken away, I cannot deliver which is what I have been fighting for all along.

The other question is on oversight considering the checks and balances. For us to have quality services delivered in Kampala, we must have a robust vibrant institution called KCCA which is susceptible to the doctrine of separation of power, transparency as well as checks and balances. If we have the policy making organ presided over by the LordMayor and the implementing organ headed by the ED, then the implementing organ has to be accountable to us (Lord Mayor and Councillors) and if that fails, clashes are bound to arise.

The major problem is that KCCA is not functioning as an institution because the planning unit (the Metropolitan Physical Planning Authority) is nonexistent. The public accounts committee which is supposed to do the professional audit and help us to execute the political audit role of eyes on, hands off is not functional so there are no accountability systems in place. Currently, everything including procurement and disposal is done by the ED which is a violation of the PPDAAct. So we need to put in place a functional institution. Otherwise, I believe in a shared vision to revamp Kampala city for the benefit of all.

There are at least 25 of the 34 elected councillors at KCCAwho belong to or sympathise with the opposition. What is the implication of this as to you as the political head at KCCA?

It sends a powerful message to all the people who are fighting me and the position of the LordMayor especially President Museveni. It simply means that the electorate demands their power which can only be proved by the ballot. And it is not only councillors but the entire leadership of Kampala including MP’s and all the five electedMayors are opposition- leaning. This poses a great challenge to the fighters. That pushes him (Museveni) to go back to the drawing board and recast his policies towards a direction that seeks to address the fact that much as Kampalans elected the opposition, they demand service delivery like other areas. The confrontational approach they have against Lukwago will have to be toned down. They have been using proxies; largely NRM councillors to fight me through being summoned to State House and given instructions with some logistics. That may not be possible this time round.

It is alleged that boda-boda riders, taxi drivers, shop attendants, hawkers, market vendors and other people in the same docket constitute the greatest percentage of your supporters leaving out the rich and corporate. How do you plan to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in Kampala?

That is not true; I enjoy overwhelming support across the divide from both the people in the informal sector and the middle class. This time around I got over 80% of the valid votes cast which cannot come only from the informal sector. That is why I campaigned on a platform of social justice and equity. Much as some people misinterpreted it as a CommonMan’s agenda, I believe in equitable development not that skewed to a few people. Yes, there is that divide but we must not forget that there are people who want to develop Kampala in the eyes of the middle class only. How about the other class who want to earn a living from the same city? Because they can’t access jobs from the industry sector, we must therefore come up with social security systems that will ameliorate the excess we would suffer in case we are trying to create a trade order system that is in the interests of all.

President Museveni’s government has tried everything to get rid of you including a botched impeachment process, but the people of Kampala through elections have vindicated you. Where then does the future of Kampala lie with such fights within the KCCA hierarchy?

It is not late for us to start on the foundation to revamp Kampala if there is good will on the part of the sitting government or if they are not vindictive.

The challenge is that president Museveni perceives us as enemies of the state and development and people who have no ideas thinking he is the only one with the vision which is not true. He should release the instruments of power as soon as possible so that we can kick start the process of transforming Kampala into a modern city. The next five years will therefore depend on the willingness to allow people power be. I am however confident in the team of councillors that was elected to work with me and if we don’t get any interruptions, we shall do great work for the people of Kampala. My appeal to the people of Kampala is for them to maintain the zeal for the leadership they have put in place so that the goodwill is sustained in the city.