By KT Reporter
The National Unity Platform-NUP has challenged the Lord Mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, to produce evidence that some of its councillors were bribed.
On Monday, Lukwago told a press conference that some Kampala Capital City Authority councillors belonging to the National Unity Platform were bribed to pass a resolution allowing businessman Ham Kiggundu to construct over the Nakivubo Channel. Over the weekend, Kampalans woke up to the scene of a cordoned-off Nakivubo Channel.
It later emerged that President Yoweri Museveni had okayed the project. However, this was also following a council resolution that rejected the stopping of development on Kampala drainage channels.
Lukwago said several councillors had been given money to pass the resolution that paved the way for Ham to take over the Nakivubo channel.
A KCCA councillor who asked not to be named told Uganda Radio Network that indeed some of his colleagues had been given money. “Some of our leaders, who include three councillors from Makindye and one from Central (name withheld,) are the ones who negotiated with Ham. We were given between 5million and 7 million. To pass that resolution. Others were even promised shops after the construction,” the councillor, who we granted anonymity to speak freely, said.
Ham was unavailable for a comment on this story. However, speaking today at the NUP headquarters at Makerere Kavule, Joel Ssenyonyi, the spokesperson of NUP who also doubles as the leader of the opposition in parliament, said anybody with evidence to the effect that councillors were bribed should bring evidence to that effect.
Ssenyonyi said that as a party, they have ruthlessly dealt with corruption wherever they have had evidence, and they will not hesitate to crack the whip. I read the resolution; it was a generic resolution, not specific to Nakivubo. But we intend to meet with our councillors who passed it to give us a deeper insight into it. But more critically, it’s not a Council resolution that gives them authority to develop. The real authority that gave Ham that place was Museveni; everyone saw that letter. But if Lukwago said there was any corruption, then he should bring evidence, and we shall deal with this issue. But also away from politics, this is a criminal matter; if anybody has evidence about corruption, then he should take the matter to court,” Ssenyonyi said.
Ssenyonyi added, however, that focus should be directed at President Museveni, who has authorised Kiggundu to take over the channel. In April KCCA council passed resolutions that rejected any penalties to Ham for having built on parts of the Nakivubo drainage channel. The Council also refused to cancel land titles given to private developers on Kampala drainage channels.
In the press conference, NUP Ssenyonyi said they were not opposed to the development of Kampala, but they wanted them to follow the laid-down procedures. Ssenyonyi said that as a party, they are abhorred by the giving away of public property without following due course.
Ssenyonyi said that as a country, they are alive to the fact that in the past, people have shown magnificent plans only for them to end up not fulfilling them. He cited the Lubowa hospital project, which, up to now, has not been completed, yet the country has spent hundreds of billions on it. “We want development in our city, but we must follow the procedures. We welcome this development, but can we follow the procedures; otherwise, this might be like Lubowa Hospital, where we have spent over a trillion, and there is so far nothing. They have not even allowed us to see the project, not even the Minister of Health, who is the supervisor,” Ssenyonyi said.
Ronald Nsubuga Balimwezo, who is the shadow minister of Kampala, said that before Ham can develop the Nakivubo channel, there must be a master plan for dealing with garbage in Kampala. “We can’t say we are dealing with Nakivubo channel development before we have dealt with garbage.
By closing the channel before dealing with garbage, we might lose more money than we have lost so far in flooding. We must have that proposal looked into before construction takes place,” Balimwezo, who is also interested in the Kampala Lordmayorship, said.
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