Rogers Buregyeya, the Chairperson of the Finance and Administration sectoral committee accuses the technical staff of deliberately frustrating the work of his committee by declining to attend any of its statutory meetings despite being served with formal invitations.
Several civil servants in Masaka City council are on the
spot for alleged insubordination and abdication of their duties. The technical staff is under fire from the chairpersons of the
city sectoral committees, who accuse them of deliberately frustrating
their operations by hiding crucial information and absconding from
meetings.
Those implicated include Rashid Ssebyala, the
Masaka City Procurement Officer, Harriet Kafeero, the Chief Finance Officer,
Ponsiano Mayito, the head of the Planning Unit, Lydia Nassolo, the Senior Internal
Auditor and Hood Sseremba, the City Principal Human Resource Officer.
Rogers Buregyeya, the Chairperson of the Finance and Administration sectoral committee accuses the technical staff of deliberately
frustrating the work of his committee by declining to attend any of its statutory meetings
despite being served with formal invitations.
He says that the committee is failing to execute its responsibility
and accomplish tasks assigned to it by the council because the technical officers
are uncooperative. Besides shunning meetings, Buregyeya says that the
technical staff has since October last year failed to furnish the committee with
any performance and accountability reports, hence frustrating its planning
process, which has a grave effect on social service delivery.
//Cue
in: “Tumaze ebbanga…
Cue
out: ….kyeziyina kukola.”//
According to Buregyeya, they have resolved to formally
complain to the City Clerk about the unbecoming conduct of some of the staff
and demand that they are reprimanded accordingly. He claims that the committee has also unearthed syndicates
by some of the departmental heads who connive to falsify work plans with
intentions to misappropriate public funds meant for different projects.
//Cue
in: “naye nga ky’annaku…
Cue
out: ….tetokotangamu wadde.”//
Christine Namaganda, the Masaka City female councilor for
Persons with Special needs and a member of the Finance and Administration committee, says that they are fed up with the intransigent character of some heads of departments.
She observes that the city is largely operating on speculation because the technical team has deliberately distanced itself from the
political leaders who were entrusted with the mandate of the electorates.
Namaganda accuses the technical staff of insubordination to
the political leadership, arguing it has become a habit they are not provided
with timely information.
//Cue
in: “embeera eno yantabula…..
Cue
out: ……ku planingira kibuga.”//
Efforts to speak to Geoffrey Bemanyisa, the Masaka City Clerk about the complaints failed to yield
results because he was out of the office and all calls to his cellphone went unanswered. One of his office assistants indicated that Bemanyisa
could be preparing his handover report to the new City
Clerk.
One of the accused technical staff who preferred not
to be named told Uganda Radio Network that the heads of departments cannot
freely attend committee meetings until they are certain about their employment statuses. Apparently, the Ministry of Public Service is carrying out a validation exercise of public servants to choose those
that qualify for work in the city council.
