Proposal to make Minister Kampala head delays KCCA bill

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDPENDENT | The Kampala Capital City Authority Bill 2015 has dragged on due to controversial clauses that seek to make the Minister the head of Kampala and limit powers of Lord Mayor.

The bill, which was earlier under scrutiny by the Presidential affairs committee of parliament, seeks to streamline and strengthen the governance of Kampala.  Under the proposals, the government also seeks to make the minister of Kampala be made political head of the authority, as a move to end the leadership stalemate at city hall.

The Presidential Affairs committee chaired by Adjumani Woman MP Jesca Ababiku also recommended that the title political head is scrapped from the KCCA act, a move which has since met resistance from the opposition, saying it will make the mayor ceremonial.

But the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Betty Aol Ochan the proposal to remove the title political head and make the Minister in charge of Kampala is unconstitutional. She is however optimistic that the two sides will have a consensus by the time the bill is tabled for second reading.

The opposition is concerned that if it is passed as it is, the bill will undermine the Power of the people who elect the mayor through adult suffrage and give the appointed leader more powers. The committee report which was ready more than a month ago has continuously been deferred as both Government and Opposition said they needed to harmonize the proposal.

State Minister for Kampala Benny Namugwanya said they consulting with the relevant authorities to ensure that the lord Mayor is not left Powerless after the amendments.

“They raised these issues, as being constitutional matters which cannot be negotiated especially on the rights of the people to choose their leaders,” Namugwanya said.

Jesca Ababiku the Presidential affairs committee chair says the bill has delayed because both the opposition and Government are still consulting. In their report, the presidential committee said at no cost should the people’s rights be disrespected.

For several years, KCCA has been entangled at the heal of tensions and power struggles between the KCCA political wing led by the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, the technical wing led by the Executive Director, and Kampala Minister  Beti Olive Kamya.

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