Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has labelled the move to amend the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) law, as an act of fraud and dishonesty.
He has accused the National Resistance Movement government of drafting the KCCA amendment bill 2015, following a deliberate exclusion of the city leadership and important stakeholders.
Lukwago argues that the city leadership and the people of Kampala were never consulted, noting that it was drafted within the office of the minister, and presented to Parliament while the Lord Mayor’s office was sealed off.
Lukwago presented the KCCA council’s position on the bill, to the committee on presidential affairs on Tuesday.
The bill seeks to provide for the election of the Mayor by the council, and clarify roles of the Lord Mayor and Executive.
He argues that there has been serious violation and mis-interpretation of the existing law, and a false narrative being fronted by the President that the law trimmed his powers and that his role is ceremonial.
He argues that this narrative has been debunked.
He has labelled the bill as an affront to the spirit of the constitution, premised on a hollow foundation.
He contends that the government is purporting to resolve the clash of roles in the governance structure, by transferring all executive powers to the minister.
He says this will weaken the institution and Kampala will be governed by ministerial orders and decrees, reminiscent of the Idi Amin era.
He has concluded that the move to strip the council of its policy making and oversight roles, and vest them in the minister is an act of fraud.
