Chaos erupted in the Bushenyi District Council on Thursday as councilors clashed over the approval of three new members of the District Service Commission amid allegations of procedural irregularities and corruption. The emergency council sitting eventually approved the former Rukungiri Resident District Commissioner as chairperson of the commission alongside Rehema Kyarimpa and Counsel Julius Turinawe as members.
However, the approval process was marred by heated disagreements, with several councilors accusing the district speaker of ignoring procedure and forcing through the resolution. The tension started immediately after prayers and the national anthem when Speaker Silagi Banyanga invited the Clerk to Council to read the order paper for adoption of the approval motion.
At least ten councilors repeatedly stood up to raise points of procedure during the speaker’s communication, but Banyanga declined to entertain most of them, escalating the confrontation inside the council chambers.
The names were later seconded by Frank Katwarana, the district councilor representing Bumbaire Sub-county, and Patience Ashaba, the female councilor representing Kyabugimbi Sub-county, before the speaker adjourned the sitting amid loud shouting from sections of councilors.
Winnifred Kyomukama, the Woman Councilor for Nyakabirizi Division, said the councilors objected because the process used to pass the names was flawed. She argued that the previous council had already passed a resolution directing the district to source members of the District Service Commission from neighboring districts, a decision she said had not been formally rescinded.
Kyomukama further claimed that some councilors had previously been summoned by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit over similar procedural concerns linked to the commission.
Councilors who opposed the approval also accused the speaker of bias and alleged that corruption claims surrounding the District Service Commission had not been adequately addressed. Others complained that they were not officially invited to the emergency council sitting in accordance with the Local Government Act.
However, Adnan Tumuhirwe, the district councilor representing Kakaju Sub-county, defended the speaker’s actions, arguing that the district risked losing more than one billion shillings meant for staff wages if the commission was not constituted urgently.
er Silagi Banyanga maintained that the emergency council sitting had followed consultations with both the political and technical leadership of the district. He described the objections raised by some councilors as unnecessary attempts to frustrate the process.
Bushenyi Chief Administrative Officer Phionah Sanyu said efforts to secure a shared District Service Commission arrangement with neighboring districts had failed because those councils had already passed their own resolutions.
Sanyu said the district now hopes that the Public Service Commission approves the newly appointed members before the close of the financial year to avoid losing 1.76 billion shillings earmarked for wages.
District Chairperson Prosper Twebaze condemned the conduct of the protesting councilors, warning that he would not tolerate actions likely to cause financial losses to the district. Bushenyi District has, for months, been engulfed in controversy over the District Service Commission following allegations of corruption and irregular recruitment processes.
The crisis intensified after some names previously appointed by former district chairperson Jafari Basajjabalaba were rejected by the Public Service Commission over alleged bribery concerns.
Former commission members, including Demining Barahuka, Richard Nkyeire, and Dan Taritweba, are under investigation over allegations of selling government jobs and procedural irregularities in recruitment.
Last month, former Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi directed Basajjabalaba to nominate a new District Service Commission before the expiry of his term on April 24, but he left office before completing the process-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
