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Gulu City Authorities Root for Mediation to End Mayor, Speaker Bickering

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According to Ahimbiswe they are already looking for the rightful people to hold the mediation and cited that they are considering involving the permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government.
20 Jan 2025 12:21
A photo montage of Gulu City Council Mayor Alfred Okwonga (L) and the Gulu City Council Speaker Reeni Joyce Alima (R)

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Gulu City Council authorities have initiated mediation efforts to resolve ongoing conflicts between Mayor Alfred Okwonga, Speaker Reeni Joyce Alima, and a section of councilors. This decision follows last week’s heated council meeting, during which the speaker suspended the mayor for two consecutive sittings and revoked his access to an official vehicle and fuel allowances.

The suspension stemmed from the mayor’s refusal to apologize for his December 2024 social media posts, where he alleged that the speaker and certain councilors accepted bribes to approve the illegal construction of a fuel station on a wetland in Gulu City.

Gulu City Town Clerk, Innocent Ahimbisibwe, told Uganda Radio Network that efforts are underway to mediate among the city leaders to ease tensions and ensure normal service delivery resumes. According to Ahimbiswe they are already looking for the rightful people to hold the mediation and cited that they are considering involving the permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government.

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He described the tension among the councilors and the mayor as a “small” standoff that can be addressed through simple mediation. Tension among the leaders arose from November 28 last year’s council resolution in which the house adopted a motion seeking to resolve the rocky relationship between the city council and the Oil Energy Uganda Ltd mogul intending to establish the petrol station on the wetland. 

Andrew Ogwetta Otto, the LCV Councilor representing Pece-Laroo North who moved the motion noted that resolving the relation between the businessman and Gulu city would save the latter from further incurring debt from court costs. Days after the council passed the resolution, Lawrence Okello, the proprietor of Oil Energy Uganda Ltd immediately resumed construction works on the wetland located on plot 1 in Green Valley cell, Bardege-Layibi Division.

Ahimbisibwe however noted that the construction works were illegal since the developer never complied with the city council's physical development plan guidelines. He also explained that the developer’s approved certificate of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (EIA) had expired adding that he hadn’t yet renewed the certificate.

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Uganda Radio Network understands that the investor failed to comply on with the conditions stipulated on the certificate of approval of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment No NEMA/ESIA 13705 contrary to section 157 (f) and (ii) of the national environment Act Cap 181.



Not ready to apologize


Alfred Okwonga, the embattled Gulu City Council Mayor told URN in an interview that those demanding for his apologies should instead apologize to the city dwellers for what he describes as shameful act of destroying the wetland.

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Reacting on the mediation move by the city authorities, Okwonga says several in-house dialogues including involving the Local Government Minister had been instituted to which he believed had addressed the bickering.

 The City Council Speaker Reeni Joyce Alima however welcomed the mediation proposals adding that they are willing to reconcile and work together with the City Mayor.

“There is no big tension, it’s just misunderstanding, and where it has reached, we shall come to understand one another. I believe the councilors are willing to work with the mayor peacefully without any conflict,” Alima told URN in an interview on Monday.