After six months in which Kampala lord mayor Lukwago’s council made law and minister Beti Kamya did what she wanted, the two leaders want to talk peace, and make the city work, SIRAJE LUBWAMA reports.
In an unintended New Year gift to a city they have been fighting over, Kampala’s top political rivals say they are now ready to work together. Speaking to The Observer last week, lord mayor Erias Lukwago said he was tired or wars, while Kampala minister Beti Kamya promised to hunt down Lukwago and talk.
Lukwago first announced his engagement strategy during Thursday’s year-ending Kampala Capital City Authority, (KCCA) meeting at City Hall. Calling for a “united team”, Lukwago lamented both minister Kamya and District Land Board chairman Yusuf Nsibambi had skipped the meeting, citing other commitments.
Since city councillors took oath in June, Kamya has not attended a single KCCA sitting. Lukwago once said that Kamya was sent by President Museveni to fight the lord mayor. Lukwago was elected with a landslide, the voters defying President Museveni’s spirited campaign for ‘anyone but Lukwago’. Meanwhile, Council has sat and passed resolutions, which Kamya has ignored or contradicted – something Lukwago says hurts him.
In November, lord councillors resolved not to force vendors and hawkers off the city streets, until a place was found to relocate them to. But Kamya got police and other law enforcement agencies to evict the vendors.
“I will not call any other authority meeting until this matter [of reconciling with Kamya] is put to rest,” Lukwago told councillors. “I would like this to happen not later than 15th January 2016 because I want a united team that would deliver services to Kampala dwellers better. I, therefore, call upon my sister, the honourable minister, and the technical staff to join the political team in developing the city.”
Earlier in the meeting, councilor Faridah Nakabugo called for a resolution advising Kamya to resign or ask the appointing authority to sack her. This was rejected, with one division mayor saying council had no basis to force the minister to attend its meeting.
Rooted in mutual political suspicion, the conflict between Lukwago and Kamya has often manifested in different interpretations of the KCCA Act. In June, Lukwago told the parliamentary committee on Presidential Affairs that according to the KCCA Act, Kamya has no powers to implement council policies. Rejecting this, Kamya said the law empowered her to implement policies and hold the lord mayor accountable to her and the authority.
Last week, council resolved that if Kamya accepted to attend a peace-making council meeting, Lukwago would let deputy lord mayor Sarah Kanyike chair it.
Kamya’s personal assistant, Lt Francis Matovu, told us at the weekend that the minister was not to blame for skipping KCCA meetings. He said Kamya chose to be represented by one of her personal assistants, Hassan Kasibante, because when she invites the lord mayor for meetings, Lukwago sends his deputy Sarah Kanyike.
“Before the minister swore in, she called Lukwago for a talk, he did not honour it,” Matovu said. “She invited him for several functions, including the introduction ceremony of her daughter, which he promised to attend but instead sent his deputy. She came to the mayor’s parlor but instead Lukwago sent his deputy to the meeting attended by division mayors.”
TIME FOR PEACE
Interviewed for a comment on Saturday, minister Kamya promised to talk to Lukwago.
“As I talk now, I am at a church function in Lubaga division. Today [Saturday] morning, I rang the lord mayor inviting him to come and welcome the Chief justice Bart Katureebe at this function; he has not honoured the invitation despite the chief justice not being a politician,” Kamya said.
“As a Protestant and a born-again, I am more than willing to meet Lukwago at any time anywhere. Even if he dodges this time, I will hunt for him wherever he will be. …Better late than never.”
Contacted separately on Saturday, Lukwago told The Observer: “It is only last Thursday that she [Kamya] said she was attending another important event but I am now tired of fighting wars. I want next year to be a year of working rather than arguing with people I should be working closely with. I want her [Kamya] to choose a day of her choice when she is free to have a reconciliatory meeting.”
Deputy Mayor Kanyike told us on Saturday that councillors had chosen her and Andrew Kitaka, the acting deputy executive director of KCCA, to contact Kamya.
“If the minister accepts to meet me and Kitaka, we shall hopefully make her choose a day for a reconciliation meeting,” Kanyike said. “Thereafter, we shall agree with her on the best day for the authority meeting she wishes to attend”.
slubwama@observer.ug