By KT Reporter
After the removal of Dorothy Kisaka and David Luyimbazi from the positions of KCCA ED and DED, some lobbyists approached state house proposing HR director Grace Akullo to become the new acting ED. Kampala minister Minsa Kabanda subsequently weighed in and unsuccessfully lobbied the president for the same lady.
However, Frank Rusa Nyakana the director legal affairs was also in the wings and wanted the slot too. He has a strong lobby group of backers who include longtime friend the attorney general Kiwanuka Kiryowa.
These lobbied better than any other group and that’s how Rusa got the job ahead of Akullo who believed it was her time to shine; having been at KCCA longer than Rusa. She actually was the longest serving director as of that time having come in with the Kisakas in early 2021.
The job of acting ED went to Rusa but Akullo who controls both human resource and administration at KCCA remained wounded and with a broken heart. This explains why the two haven’t been the best of friends as Rusa served as acting ED for the last three months or 100 days.
When the public service commission advertised the job, many people applied including Rusa but who prudent practice required to get a written recommendation of some sort from KCCA, his current place of work, and this had to be written for him by Akullo who never wished him to be in that office in the first place.
Because of this animosity, Rusa never bothered going to Akullo to ask for that help to attach the same on his application. He saw this as going to kneel before someone for whom he had a lot of contempt.
That actually is why public service commission never shortlisted Rusa even when he had all the qualifications including a master’s degree. This recommendation letter from the current employee was very important in Rusa’s case.
Akullo was the happiest when it emerged that public service commission (her employee before coming to KCCA) hadn’t shortlisted both Rusa and his deputy in the acting capacity at KCCA, Robert Nowera. Her supporters went around jubilating over Rusa’s failure to get shortlisted.
Not one to go down without a fight, Rusa got an appointment and met the President and reported to him about this perceived mistreatment by public service commission.
Museveni couldn’t believe this and asked Rusa “my son what exactly happened? Is it because you don’t have a master’s degree or what?”
The President indicated to him that this was a small issue which he was prepared to handle and that’s how the public service commission was asked to halt the entire recruitment process.
On learning that it was simply because of the absence of Grace Akullo’s written recommendation, the President said that was being too technical for nothing.
He dismissed it as mere technicality and called Kiwanuka Kiryowa to advise on the legality of the circumstances under which the commission had locked out his blue-eyed boy Rusa.
Being the attorney general, Kiryowa advised the President it would be imprudent and even illegal to terminate the entire process and have it repeated simply because there was need to accommodate Rusa.
KK made it clear that much as he was his friend and very capable of doing a good job as the substantive ED for KCCA, Rusa had made a mistake omitting to include a recommendation letter from the head HR.
He advised the President that the government would end up being sued by those who had been shortlisted if the whole process was terminated just to accommodate one person.
It was at this point that Museveni, who is always willing to respect legal opinions from the attorney general, backed off and told Rusa he will find something else for him in the course of time because there was need to urgently put the substantive ED and DED in office at City Hall.
This was yet another victory for Grace Akullo who seems a humble lady but one who can be a very effective fighter if you cross her path.
And fast forward towards the commencement of the Christmas break, Rusa organised the end of year party at City Hall for the more than 3,000 casual workers of the cleaners and sweepers category.
The lord mayor was invited to be the chief guest and everything went well except that people, thought to be Akullo supporters, messed up the aspect of lunch yet Rusa had budgeted and put aside money to serve a sumptuous meal to these cleaners and sweepers.
Salim Uhuru had been contracted to be the one to serve the meal on that day. However, he was compromised by Akullo’s supporters inside City Hall and ended up sabotaging the whole event.
Uhuru even switched off his phone and Rusa went to the microphone, after the lord mayor had left, to announce to the yawning cleaners that lunch food was ready only to realize it wasn’t. There was pandemonium as you can imagine.
Uhuru was told to cancel the delivery by people supportive of Akullo because KCCA wasn’t able to pay him promptly yet he doesn’t supply on credit. That chaos also reflected very badly on Rusa and yet it was triumph for the supporters in Akullo’s camp.
As the yawning cleaners threatened to riot, organisers led by a one Prossy Nakamate made phone calls and food ended up being delivered from Sebankyaye, Dream and other local food restaurants in Wandegeya market.
That’s how a riot by cleaners was averted but a lot of damage had already been caused for Rusa who Akullo’s supporters moved around portraying as a shabby manager who can’t even organize a mere end of year party for cleaners.
Now that the new ED Hajat Sharifah Buzeki and deputy ED Benon Kigenyi (has been under secretary at a government ministry) have been named, people at HR Grace Akullo’s office will be happy to see Frank Rusa hand over office to revert to his substantive office of director legal affairs at KCCA.
It’s their wish to have him hand over as early as next week so that the new team can take over. In his 100 days as acting ED, Rusa tried hard to be inclusive and accommodative of as many stakeholders as he could. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com.
