Ruyonga, who had held the same office for 15 years, had lost to Rev Willy Kintu Muhanga, an Independent candidate in the 2016 general elections. His loss then, despite being the NRM flag bearer, was attributed to the several controversies that surrounded his leadership and the clashes with councillors which forced him to snub council sessions for close to two years.
Fort Portal City Mayor, Rev Willy Kintu Muhanga adds that due to lack of guidelines; he has not yet formed an executive committee that would implement council resolutions. According to Muhanga, the operationalisation of Fort Portal city led to the immediate closure of Fort Portal municipal bank accounts.
According to the petition, the religious leaders argue that the approved boundaries are different from what the leaders and residents recommended, and should be changed forthwith.
According to Godfrey Asiimwe, a mechanic operating in the lorry park, the drainage channels seem to be poorly constructed and not frequently cleaned leading to stagnation of water.
The elders say that much as the leasing of the land is likely to foster development, there is a segment of the population that has raised a red flag on the basis of a possible conflict of interest by the district chairman or the area councilors.
On Thursday, during a debate held on Zoom that was organised by Kabarole Research and Resource Centre – KRC, and attended by hundreds of Kabarole residents and leaders, Justinian Niwagaba explained that civil servants in the elevated municipalities will remain with their jobs and work in the cities.
A section of the grounds has been turned into a garbage dumping site giving off a strong stench, while its green grass cover has been completely destroyed.
Richard Muhumuza, the West Division chairperson, says they have less revenue collections as their major source of income, property tax, is now being collected by agents of the municipal council.
Steven Alinaitwe, one of the residents who have been asked to pay parking fees along these roads criticizes the council, saying it’s causing confusion. Alinaitwe says he has refused to pay parking fees on several occasions and is willing to face council in court if the matter escalates.
However, over a decade later, the municipal council is working contrary to the laws, which has seen it clash with car owners and attracting criticism from the general public.
Simon Karamagi is accused of absenteeism, failure to release salaries on time, perpetually missing council and standing committee sittings, failure to ensure timely collection of revenue or take action against revenue defaulters, among other things.
According to the vendors, about two weeks back, Fort Portal Municipal Council imposed fresh taxes on various foodstuffs and fruits like watermelons, tomatoes, onions and others without consulting them.
Last year, the Banyatereza Sisters, requested Fort Portal Municipal Council to make minor renovations on the building. The request was granted and on May 21, 2019. However, the building collapsed soon after the renovation started, injuring two people.
Ibrahim Bagonza, a boda boda cyclist on Kahinju road boda boda stage, which is among the most affected parts of the town, argues that they have on several occasions contacted the municipality leadership to resolve the problem in vain.
The Fort Portal Municipal Education Officer, Richard Alituha, says the recommended pupil-desk ratio is three pupils per desk, but most of these schools are now struggling with six pupils per desk.
The Mayor Fort Portal Municipality, Rev Willy Kintu Muhanga, says he was informed by the Municipal Works Engineer, Nasur Twesige that the floods were caused by bad engineering on the drainage system.
