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Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A fight broke has broken out among Councilors at the Hoima district headquarters in Kasingo cell, Hoima West Division of Hoima City.
The fight Monday afternoon broke out after a section of councilors opposed the council sitting, saying it was illegal.
It all started when a section of Councilors led by Patrick Rusoke, the LC5 Councilor representing Buraru sub county opposed the council sitting saying they were not notified in time about the council sitting and also reasoned that there was no emergency in the district for the clerk to summon them within only two days.
The councilors say they were notified on February 9, 2022 by the clerk to council that they would have a council sitting on February 14, 2022 which they say is not within the law yet they had no any emergency.
According to the Councilors, they were supposed to have been notified about the council sitting six days before, but this did not happen adding that they were notified over the weekend that there would be a council sitting on Monday.
By law, the clerk to council with guidance from the council speaker would notify the councilors at least before 6 working Days prior to the date of the Council meeting by sending a summons.
The summons gives the date, time and place of the council sitting and specify the business to be transacted and should be accompanied by such reports as are available which the aggrieved councilors say did not happen.
The council that was being chaired by Swaibu Nyangabyaki, the district council speaker turned chaotic after the aggrieved councilors pounced on him and other members of the executive accusing them of running the district in a crazy manner.
This resulted into a physical fight between the councilors and members of the executive. The physical fight left several councilors injured in the fracas. Those injured include; Benson Chiche, the LC5 Vice Chairperson and also LC5 Councilor representing Buhanika subcounty, Robert Baguma,the LC5 Councilor representing Kigorobya town council and Robert Rusoke,the LC5 Councilor representing Buraru sub county among others.
Several items including chairs, documents and tables were destroyed during the fight in the council room. The situation forced other councilors to flee the council room.
This compelled the speaker of the council Swaibu Nyangabyaki to suspend the council sitting up to February 24th,2022.
Patrick Rusoke, the LC5 Councilor for Buraru says it seems there was a hidden agenda in the sitting because the notification was not communicated early enough.
Kenneth Kwolekya, the Councilor for youth faulted the council speaker for not acting within the law by summoning them for the council sitting within two days saying they are set to move a motion to censure the speaker for being incompetent.
Swaibu Myangabyaki, the district Council speaker says all the councilors who attacked him and other members of the executive will be subjected to disciplinary action before they are allowed to return to the council.
Kadir Kirungi, the Hoima LC5 Chairperson says he was not happy by the action of the councilors. According to Kadir, there are some members on the district security committee in the district who are inciting the councilors to cause commotion in the council sittings.
However Uganda Radio Network – URN not independently verify his claim that members of the district security committee are conniving with some councilors to cause commotion in the council.
Dominic Tibasiima, the Hoima Deputy Resident District Commissioner – RDC says the councilors act of fighting in the council is uncalled for adding that they would have solved their differences amicably.
Since September,2021 when some members of the Hoima district executive committee were accused of allegedly hiring out the district road equipment to an Indian investor in Kiryandongo, there has been a misunderstanding between the executive and other councilors.
The Police and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in September impounded Hoima District Road equipment over alleged misuse.
The equipment that includes a grader and a Vibro roller machine was found on a private farm owned by an Indian investor in Kigumba town council Kiryandongo district. At the time they were impounded, the grader and the Vibro roller had their number plates plucked off.
This caused the arrest of the Hoima district engineer Ibrahim Luswata, Vincent Irumba, the works supervisor and Charles Tibagwa, a mechanic attached to Hoima district local government.
The suspects together with other top district officials are alleged to have connived and hired out the road equipment to the Indian investor whose particulars are yet to be revealed.
A week after, the Hoima District LC5 Chairperson, Kadir Kirungi and three members of his executive were also arrested by detective from the state house anti-corruption unit for allegedly hiring out road equipment to an Indian investor in Kiryandongo district.
The others were; Benson Chiche, the Hoima LC5 Vice-Chairperson, James Mugenyi Mulindambura the Kiganja sub-county LC 5 Councilor and Natural resources Secretary and Geoffrey Kumakech, the Buseruka sub-county LC5 Councillor and District Finance Secretary.
The State House anti-corruption unit detained the officials when they appeared before the Criminal Investigations Directorate headquarters in Kampala to respond to various accusations leveled against them
