Kampala Councillors Attack City Director Over Meagre Allowances

Robert Mwanje

5 June 2011

Newly elected city councillors have attacked Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Jennifer Semakula Musisi over the meagre allowances allocated to them.

They are demanding an adjustment in the KCCA budget submitted to the central government.

Speaking during the first authority meeting chaired by the newly-elected Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, the councillors expressed discontent over the Shs400, 000 allocated to each councillor per month, saying it was little.

“Our quick computing shows that each councillor is to get about Sh400,000 per month which is too little for our operations,” Lubaga Municipality Councillor Godfrey Asiimwe said.

Mr Asiimwe said he was shocked to learn that central government did not budget for KCCA. “This leaves us in balance because we don’t know what to tell our electorates who are in dire need of services,” he added.

Earlier, Ms Semakula solely submitted a tentative budget to the Ministry of Finance allocating Shs1.8 billion for councillors’ allowances and emoluments for the capital city authority and the five municipalities.

Councillor Baker Sserwamba (Makindye Municipality) expressed discontent over the money and demanded for an explanation from the executive director.

“Your Lordship, you are a politician, you know what it takes and how we came here. Which criteria did the executive director use to arrive at such figure without our input?” Mr Serwamba asked.

But Ms Semakula said KCCA became operational three months before the closure of the financial year but government allowed her office to present a ‘swift budget’ for consideration in the next national budget.

Nakawa Municipality councillor Elijah Owobusingye said: “I dropped my job which was paying me Sh2.5 million per month to join politics. How can I get such an amount?”

He said under the new KCCA arrangement , councillors’ allowances and benefits are determined by the Minister for Kampala, Finance Ministry and the Executive Director.

“Government allowed us to present the proposed budget with the help of the technical persons but we shall be given the opportunity to discuss it and make adjustments,” she said.

Makerere University councillor ,Mr Bernard Luyiga added that, “Passing over the budget to the Ministry of finance without the council’s input was against the KCCA Act. We demand that the executive director recalls it back for discussion, approval and adjustments”.

Lukwago’s first meeting also discussed emerging issues under the newly created KCCA including the pending restructuring and reorganisation process, KCCA 2011-2012 budget, operations of the contracts committee, district land board and other statutory bodies of the Authority.

Under the new arrangement, the pragmatic stewardship of Kampala, which the city mayor used to enjoy was effective March I, 2011 transferred to the hands of the executive director, Ms Jennifer Semakula Musisi, who was recently appointed by the president- completely putting the management of the city in the hands of the central government.

However, the Lord Mayor now enjoys the privilege to chair the council, which used to be the role of the Speaker under the old Kampala City Council arrangement.

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