The Observer , Kampala – Weighing in on the protracted power dispute at Kampala Capital City Authority that threatens every other day to cripple service delivery, the Catholic archbishop of Kampala, Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, says the two principals to the feud; Jennifer Musisi and Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago are not to blame.
Calling for an end to the squabbling, the archbishop said in an interview with The Observer on Christmas eve at his Lubaga residence, that anyone who would inherit those offices at KCCA would face the same problems.
“The main challenges that really cause these struggles are basically the many power centres that we have in our Kampala … Such wide multipurpose power centres are bound to cause conflicts,” he said.
The archbishop explained that Lukwago, as mayor, draws his mandate from his electorate while the KCCA executive director, the minister for Kampala, and the five Resident City Commissioners (RCCs) in charge of Kampala draw their mandate from the appointing authority.
Without naming names or titles, Lwanga said: “All [of these] are governing and advising the president on Kampala. When do the four power centres meet to discuss issues concerning Kampala? When those people go to the president, do they go together as a team or individually? And if individually, why?” he asked.
Lwanga believes that the only cure to the crisis at KCCA is for Parliament to amend the laws to define the limits and entitlements of each power centre. He also called for an urgent need to rethink the composition of Parliament, insisting that its size was a burden to voters.
“The national assembly with over 300 MPs is too big for a small country like Uganda … the demands of members of Parliament are also escalating, surpassing the needs of the stakeholders in this country,” he said.
The archbishop was reflecting on the recent house acquisitions — new parking complex that cost the taxpayer Shs 36bn and ipads for each MP, which consumed a further Shs 1bn. Parliament is set to apportion even more money for the construction of a new chamber in the next financial year, to accommodate the 375 MPs, arguing that the current building is too small to accommodate the legislators.
But the prelate thinks that the house is already too big and Ugandans should consider a bicameral Parliament, with a House of Representatives and another for Senators.
“The Senate should consist of three senators from each region and one from the federal capital of Kampala,” Lwanga said, adding: “The House of Representatives would consist of an agreed number of people – say three from each district.”
If three MPs are drawn from each of the 115 districts and 15 representatives for the senate, Lwanga’s proposal would reduce the combined house by only 15 MPs, bringing the total to 360.
