Kampala Minister tasked to Explain KCCA Tribunal Kampala Minister tasked to Explain KCCA Tribunal Posted about 4 hours ago by Collins Hinamundi | 1 comment Kampala Minister Frank Tumwebaze confers with NRM Chief Whip Justine Lumumba Kampala Minister Frank Tumwebaze confers with NRM Chief Whip Justine Lumumba Members of Parliament on Wednesday tasked the Minister in charge of Presidency and Kampala City Affairs Frank Tumwebaze to elaborate on the issues concerning KCCA and the tribunal of three he set up. The tribunal was set up to hear a petition by councillors that questioned the competence of the sitting Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. In the signed petition, the councillors also accuse Lukwago of abuse of office. This happened during the lying of papers, policy statements and ministerial statements by Ministers of different sectors in the country. MP Mathias Mpuuga for Masaka Municipality rose on a procedural matter saying that he was aware the Minister in charge of Kampala had made arrangements to present an instrument and attempting to break the code of parliament which he said that parliament received a petition about KCCA which has not been disposed off since it was confirmed that the committee report had been forged. He noted that even the select committee that was directed to be set and convene for 21 days has not convened to investigate the report and that the particular instrument that Tumwebaze was going to lay on table contained matters concerning election of councillors representing professional bodies yet it was one of the issues that were supposed to be investigated by the select committee. Mpuuga informed the house that Tumwebaze against the advice given to him by the attorney general went ahead and constituted a tribunal to investigate KCCA matters and that also Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago petitioned court seeking judicial review on the manner in which the tribunal was constituted. He put it to him that despite of the knowledge of the court ruling out taxi drivers payment of 120,000 shillings as fees and all other developments that he went ahead and used the powers that the KCCA Act vested in him as a minister and directed KCCA to operate against the court ruling and proceedings. He questioned whether the Minister is procedurally right to proceed with laying papers concerning an Authority under investigation. Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah said that a statutory instrument arising from the authority of an act of parliament was issued and they were issued in a circumstance that requires parliamentary approval and they are just for purposes of lying on table and parliament directs them to an appropriate committee for approval and without parliament’s approval the policies cannot be applied. He noted that the Minister was only to fulfil a duty of laying an instrument on table and there is no violation of order. Alur MP Odongo Otto questioned the conduct of Tumwebaze when he went against the advice of the attorney general who is the official adviser to the government and parliament inclusive. He sought the Speakers intervention whether the house is in order to listen from Tumwebaze after disregarding the attorney General. Otto sought for the investigation of Tumwebaze’s conduct. The Speaker said that the issue of the conduct of the Minister is not before him since he has not been reported to by the Attorney General. MP Mathias Nsubuga questioned how KCCA came up with the policy statement laid on table by the Minister yet the Authority has been operating without a budget and with no meetings. The Deputy Speaker insisted and ruled that the Minister lays the instruments on table which Minister Frank Tumwebaze did.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 09:53:56 +0000