Masaka councilors reject Edward Ssekandi’s land site for district headquarters

Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Masaka district local government councilors have rejected a proposal to construct their headquarters on a piece of land donated by former Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi.

The district council which convened on Thursday to consider the appropriate location for the new district headquarters declined to settle for the five acres donated by Ssekandi in Kyannamukaaka sub-county. Ssekandi donated the land to the district in September last year, as an inducement to construct their new administrative headquarters in Kyannamukaaka sub-county, after they lost the current location to the newly created Masaka city.

Following the creation of Masaka city in July last year, the Ministry of Local government guided the leadership of Masaka district to work on the process of relocating their administration offices to another location outside the city boundaries. This, according to Peter Ssenkungu, the district workers representative required that they find a location in the middle of the district that will be easily accessible by people from all corners.

But the majority of councilors voted against the proposal that was fronted by Robert Tumwesigye, the district male representative in a heated council session chaired by Francis Kimuli, the district speaker. Eleven out of the sixteen councilors preferred to have the district headquarters constructed in Nkuke parish, Buwunga sub-county, a location they say is easily accessible over Kyannamukaaka which is at the edges of the district.

Ssenkungu said that they had earlier identified another kindhearted person who equally offered part of his prime land in Buwunga to host the district headquarters, saying they could not afford to lose the opportunity. He adds that the land donated by the former Vice President can be used for other purposes.

Despite losing the argument in a majority vote, Tumwesigye and James Kabiito, the directly elected councilors for Kyesiiga sub-county accused the opponents of acting out of malice, hence taking what they describe as an unpopular decision in the eyes of the general population of Masaka district. Kabiito blamed the councilors for being manipulated to accept building the district headquarters in a less developed rural area.

Meanwhile, Andrew Lukyamuzi Batemyetto, the Masaka district chairperson indicates that the council decision has helped to resolve a protracted dispute that had also generated bitter controversy among lower local council leaders in the area.

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