Kampala Lord Mayor launches campaign scorecard

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has reiterated the need for inclusive development that caters for people with different social needs especially the urban poor and people with disabilities.

Lukwago made the pronouncement before hundreds of supporters who gathered at his home in Wakaliga a suburb of Kampala as he launched his scorecard for 2021-2025. He says plans to develop Kampala should be inclusive and address the needs of low-income earners like street vendors, hawkers, boda boda riders among others.

Lukwago whose secretariat at city hall is developing a five-year KCCA integrated development strategy says the city should be made accessible and affordable to all and committed to protecting the rights of the ordinary person to access working space among others.

Lukwago also committed to continuing the fight against impunity and demand for rule of law and accountability. He says while KCCA has lost billions in questionable legal battles, they shall not stop demanding for accountability.

The 2018 Kampala Public Accounts Committee revealed that there was a contract for the design of the city roads that was awarded in 2015 at 157.6 billion Shillings instead of 92.6 billion Shillings approved ten months earlier. Lukwago says such wastage of taxpayers money should be probed because it hampers the development of the city.

Lukwago also committed to continuing demanding for increased funding to the city authority. Last year, council then chaired by Lukwago passed a resolution that KCCA funding be raised to at least 3% (about 1.5 trillion) of the total national budget.

The city Lord Mayor says the Authority should not depend on incomes like trade licenses, property tax and market dues yet the city contributes hugely to the national coffers.

Mukono municipality Member of Parliament Betty Nambooze criticized the government for attempting to suppress the voice of the people of Kampala but said woe to them that people are alert. She says the opposition needs to realize that they are all seeking change and fighting one person and hence should appreciate other opposition members as being in the same struggle.

Nambooze who left the Democratic Party for National Unity Platform says the opposition needs to direct their fight towards a common enemy and condemned while shaming those she accuses of working against fellow change seekers. She says if Lukwago is strong in the city, the opposition should appreciate that and direct efforts to other towns.

Kira municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda says President Museveni uses people who profess to be in the opposition to weaken the opposition. He praised members from other political parties for working to retain Kampala in the hands of change seekers saying ‘Kampala is not any ordinary local government.’

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