THIS WEEK: Fresh amendments made in KCCA bill

THIS WEEK: Fresh amendments made in KCCA bill

On July 27, the process of scrutinizing the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) amendment bill 2015 started and fresh amendments introduced. Defending the bill, the state Minister for Kampala Benny Namugwanya said while some of the earlier proposed controversial clauses had been dropped and new ones introduced. Among the new ones introduced is the creation of the office of the speaker and that of the deputy whereas the proposed provision for the lord mayor to be elected by elected city councilors was removed leaving it as was for the mayor to be elected through adult suffrage.

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga had earlier in May tasked the Presidential Affairs Committee to handle the bill expeditiously since when the amendments were first introduced in 2015 caused controversy as sections of the public saw it as targeting the current Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and aimed at denying city dwellers their voting rights.

However, in 2015, then Minister for Kampala Frank Tumwebaze said the law had defects which included giving powers to convene meetings solely to the lord mayor in whose absence fundamental activities cannot be implemented.

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