Kasese LCV chairman, speaker clash over appointment of district executive member

Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  |  There was drama at Kasese district council sitting at Multipurpose Hall in Kasese town as the district chairperson Geoffrey Sibendire Bigogo did a mini reshuffle of the district executive committee.

In his opening address to council, Bigogo indicated that he had appointed Deputy Speaker Ronald Bukambi, who is also the Kitswamba sub-county councillor to the position of secretary for works and technical services of Kasese District Local Government.

Bukambi was meant to replace Eri Masereka Magwara who had been serving in the docket since March 2018.

Magwara is the Kyabarungira sub-county councillor who had been dropped from position of district vice-chairperson, a seat he had held for two years. Magwara, however, started developing a frosty relationship with his boss causing his demotion to Secretary of the Works. 

Last year there were more glaring differences between the two leaders during the motion to subdivide Kasese into four districts. While Bigogo vehemently opposed the split of the district, Magwara supported the motion to have Kasese subdivided.

In an extraordinary sitting of council on Monday, Bigogo declared that Bukambi would succeed Magwara. The news was received with mixed reactions from members of council. 

Muhokya sub-county councillor Johnson Maathe Mulekeri even shed tears when Bigogo made the declaration.

Bulembia Division Councillor Richard Bomera moved a motion to have Bukambi first resign as deputy speaker of council before he can be approved as a member of the executive.

Bomera then argued that the vacuum created by the resignation of Bukambi renders the office of the speaker not fully constituted and thus council must first fully constitute the speaker’s office.

Council Speaker Godfrey Bwerere then briefly adjourned the sitting to enable councillors prepare to fill the position of deputy speaker. 

When Council resumed business, in an interesting development, Ham Natuhwera the Nyakatonzi sub-county councillor nominated Magwara to fill the position of deputy speaker.  He was unanimously seconded and Bomera then successfully moved a motion to have Magwara voted unopposed as deputy speaker. 

Magwara said he was happy that council had entrusted him to serve in the position of deputy speaker. He said his demotion from the position of secretary for works has been long overdue since they have had a bad relationship with his former boss for a long time.

But Bigogo accuses Magwara of failing to superintend over his docket as secretary for works properly to ensure that works are done properly by the persons involved. 

Meanwhile, the docket for the position of secretary for works couldn’t be filled as Bomera questioned the competence of Bukambi in managing what he called a sensitive docket like that of the secretary for works.

Bomera was supported by Bwesumbu Sub-county councillor Wilson Mbathulhawo who accused Bukambi of fermenting ethnic differences among communities of Bigando in Kitswamba Sub County.

Speaker Bwerere then put the matter to a vote and, according to him, council refused to approve Bukambi. But this has put him on a collision course with Bigogo who says Bwerere took his own decision instead of taking the decision of council that he says had voted in approval of Bukambi as a member of the district executive. 

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