Financial Disagreement by Wakiso Leaders Frustrate Laying of the Budget.
FINANCIAL disagreement by Wakiso district leaders frustrates the laying of the district budget.
On 3/4/2020 the ministry of local government directed all the districts business committees to do the laying and the scrutiny of the budgets.
This was intended to follow the guidelines given by the president in the fight against COVID-19 to discourage big gatherings, according to the letter signed by the minister of local government Raphael Magyezi.
On Thursday last week Wakiso business committee met but failed to do any fruitful work due to financial disagreement.
The speaker of Wakiso district council Simon Nsubuga demanded that all the allowances of all the council members should be given to the five members who make up the business committee since they were going to do work for the whole council.
Wakiso district LC5 chair man Matia Lwanga Bwanika revealed that the speaker sold his idea to the district Chief Administrative Officer [CAO] Luke Lokuda the day before the committee met.
Bwanika revealed that Lokuda also whispered to the district Chief Financial Officer [CFO] Michael Ssekandi about the speaker’s intentions who automatically turned down the idea.
In total according to Bwanika, the speaker wanted the committee to be given 23.5m which is meant for 47 councilors.
The situation forced the CAO to discuss the matter with Bwanika who according to him was not supposed to attend the committee.
“Lokuda asked me to go and attend the committee saying that am the only one who could turn down the speaker’s intensions and I did because that money could raise issues in the general council,” said Bwanika.
Bwanika pointed out that the CAO and the CFO were ready to pay the committee members their usual allowances of 500,000/ each but this was not the speaker’s target.
Unexpectedly Bwanika entered the health boardroom where the committee had convened and this made it difficult for the speaker to unveil his intentions before the committee members in the presence of the chair man who was not expected in the meeting.
The speaker immediately sent all the journalists who had turned up to cover the laying of the budget saying there were some private issues to be discussed
“Any of you who not part of this meeting please gets out so that we can begin business,” said Nsubuga.
Being the chair man of the district refused to get out the committee meeting saying the law allows him to attend all meetings at the district.
As a result, the speaker protested and adjourned the meeting even before official business began until further notes.
He picked his helmet and matched out leaving the committee members, the CAO, CFO and Bwanika puzzled.
The business committee is made up of five members and these are, Sarah Namugga the chair person for works, Ronald Nsubuga-chair person for production, and Richard Wamala Lule-chair person for Gender and Deogratias Kirumira- the chair man for finance.
