Following the creation of Masaka city in July last year, the Ministry of Local government guided the leadership of Masaka district to work on the process of relocating their administration offices to another location outside the city boundaries.
Masaka
district local government councillors have rejected a proposal to construct
their headquarters on a piece of land donated by former Vice President Edward
Kiwanuka Ssekandi.
The district
council which convened on Thursday to consider the appropriate location for the
new district headquarters declined to settle for the five acres donated by Ssekandi in Kyannamukaaka sub-county.
Ssekandi
donated the land to the district in September last year, as
an inducement to construct their new administrative headquarters in
Kyannamukaaka sub-county, after they lost the current location to the newly created Masaka city.
Following the creation
of Masaka city in July last year, the Ministry of Local government guided the
leadership of Masaka district to work on the process of relocating their
administration offices to another location outside the city boundaries. This, according
to Peter Ssenkungu, the District Workers representative, required that they find a location in the middle of the
district that will be easily accessible by people from all corners.
But the majority of councillors voted against the proposal that was fronted
by Robert Tumwesigye, the district male representative in a heated council session chaired by Francis Kimuli, the district
Speaker. Eleven out of
the sixteen councillors preferred to have the district headquarters constructed
in Nkuke parish, Buwunga sub-county; a location they say is easily accessible
over Kyannamukaaka which is at the edges of the district.
Ssenkungu said that they had earlier identified another kindhearted person who equally offered a part
of his prime land in Buwunga to host the district headquarters, saying they could
not afford to lose the opportunity. He adds that the land donated by the former Vice President can be used for other purposes.
//Cue in; “banna Masaka balonda…
Cue out….bwebia byakutambula.”//
Despite losing the argument in a majority vote, Tumwesigye and James Kabiito, the
directly elected councillor for Kyesiiga sub-county accused the opponents
of acting out of malice, hence taking what they describe as an unpopular decision
in the eyes of the general population of Masaka district. Kabiito blamed
the councillors for being manipulated to accept building the district
headquarters in a less developed rural area.
//Cue in; “Kyannamukaaka sub-county…
Cue out…..mu byalo byabwe.”//
Meanwhile, Andrew
Lukyamuzi Batemyetto, the Masaka District Chairperson indicates that the council
decision has helped to resolve a protracted dispute that had also generated
bitter controversy among lower local council leaders in the area.
