Elisa Wangi Ssemanda, the Chairperson of Ddyango Town Council and Patron of 17 LC III Chairpersons in Rakai says they want the government to grant their district status of a sub-region separate from the Greater Masaka where they are currently being clustered.
Ndawula explains that anyone peddling the rumors about the alleged meetings intends to mislead the public, and stir differences, friction, and tensions among the subjects of the two cultural institutions. On May 22, 2022, Mengo officials and supporters launched the tournament without the consent of the Kooki leadership.
The district council passed a resolution to throw out the executive committee members on February 18, 2022, accusing them of secretly passing a supplementary budget worth over 1.5 billion Shillings without involving the councillors.
According to Godfrey Kimbugwe, the Rakai District Community Development Officer-CDO, various communities across the district especially in hard-to-reach communities such as Kacheera, Kyarulangira, Ntantamuki town council, are still ignorant about the program.
A letter dated March 1, 2022, addressed to William Mamara, the Rakai Chief Administrative Officer, by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary –Benjamin Kumumanya, indicates that Magyezi seeks to meet the district council to deliberate on the same issue for the good of the district.
the Rakai CAO, William Kamara, says that the resolution did not follow the right procedure, which makes it illegal.
He says that the councillors acted out of anger when debating the matter and passed the motion without giving the accused chance to defend themselves.
The families sight numerous irregularities that were concealed by New Plan Ltd and ICS Engineering and Environment Ltd during the valuation process and the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) when information about the people to be compensated was displayed in public places.
The decision to censure the officials follows a petition signed by 16 out of 34 councilors accusing the members of alleged abuse of office, withholding information about the budget, and misconduct. The executive members are accused of passing a supplementary budget of 1.5 Billion Shillings without the knowledge of the councilors.
17 out of 34 councilors have petitioned the District Council Speaker seeking to censure the committee members for misconduct. The members are Samuel Kaggwa Ssekamwa, the Rakai LCV Chairperson, Patrick Nuwabine Karakwende, the LCV Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary for production, Chris Lujumba, the Secretary for Finance, Esther Mugarura, the Secretary for Health and Gender, and Derrick Tusubira, the Secretary for Education.
Joseph Mugumya, the Fisheries Officer In-charge of Kooki County, says the campaign
comes at the time the district is struggling to restock Lake Kijanebarola with
different fish species mainly the Nile tilapia.
The 7 billion Shillings project measuring over one kilometre long and about 200 meters wide was meant to provide sufficient water for domestic use, irrigation, cattle and other purposes in various villages, parishes and Kagamba, Lwamaggwa and Ddwaniro sub-counties.
Mugumya further explains that MAAIF engaged a consultant three years ago to conduct a feasibility study on the lake. Mugumya says that the consultant visited the district and conducted the study but he has never returned since and the ministry of agriculture has never given them feedback about the proposed restocking of the lake.
According to Ssemutono, a substantial number of children in the district does not complete the ordinary secondary education level, which affects human resource development in the area.
They say that families are breaking up and children neglected as parents remain incapable of taking care of them in the absence of compensation for their land and other properties. Disputes are escalating out of mistrust, as couples suspect each other of having received the money behind the others back.
Charles Ahiirwe Ndiire, an elder in Nkundi village, says that the delegation first visited his village in the morning before proceeding to other communities to gather information from the residents.
Many of the roads in the area have become impassable following floods that devastated the area in recent months. They include, among others, the Lumbugu-Buyamba-Lwamaggwa road, which connects to Lyantonde district which was ruined by the floods from Lake Kijjanebarola.
In his statement, Birinomutonzi claims that Kiwanuka approached him in March this year after submitting his application for a job in the ICT department. The suspect reportedly asked him to pay a bribe if he wished to get the job.
Each of the project beneficiaries are required to first deposit a total of 168,000 shillings to an account in United Bank of Africa-UBA, before they are given implements that can cater for a plantation; measuring to one acre.
Benon Kayima, the Byakabanda sub county youth chairperson, says the precondition of making a payment before getting the inputs, is standing as an obstacle to many intending farmers in the villages who cannot raise the required fees.
The affected residents are from the villages of; Kyandaaza, Kigeye and Kateerero located in Byakabanda Sub County. A Kampala based businessman Enoch Rwamirembe is threatening to evict them off the land they have occupied for decades.
