Lukwago warns Museveni over Musisi’s ‘arrogance’

Court threatens to arrest KCCA boss

Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has warned President Museveni to stop defending Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director, Jennifer Musisi’s “illegal actions” or risk causing more chaos in Kampala.

Lukwago sounded the warning yesterday after another display of the duo’s ping pong drama, in which Musisi not only refused to attend a resumed special Authority meeting, but also withdrew the acting Clerk and starved the councillors, denying them lunch and snacks for the entire duration of the meeting.

Musisi, on Monday, preposterously declined to attend the meeting on grounds that it was not preceded by a 14 working day notice and that Councillors have no capacity to venture into matters of who-is-who in the Authority — which matters High Court judge, Eldad Mwangusya, had referred to the authority for interpretation.

“I’m putting President Museveni on notice not to cause more problems to the city by shielding [Musisi’s] illegal actions, including even defying court orders with impunity. As long as I still have the people’s mandate to hold my position, I, together with the honourable councillors and my division mayors, will put her arrogance to a stop,” Lukwago warned.

He was referring to, among other incidents, Musisi’s defiance to open Kampala District Land Board (KDLB) office after Justice Steven Kavuma of the Court of Appeal had ordered it reopened, and her refusal to attend Authority meetings twice in a week.

When Lukwago called yesterday’s meeting to order, participants realized that the acting clerk to the Authority, Reuben Kamoga, who had recorded minutes of Monday’s sitting, was absent. Efforts by his junior, Patrick Kisoke, to locate him, went to naught.

The Authority resolved that in the absence of the clerk and the executive director, the meeting could not proceed. In an informal discussion, Lukwago asked councillors to suggest solutions to end what he called Musisi’s “arrogance and big headedness”.

“While one of the [KCCA] directors, Phoebe Mukasa, first wrote to me, in her capacity as acting executive director, that they would not be able to attend the Monday meeting because the entire management would be in a meeting with an unnamed minister the whole day — which I found out to be a lie — Musisi, on the other hand, gave me contradictory reasons, an [act of] arrogance that this Authority must find a solution to,” a fuming Lukwago said.

Some councillors proposed that Musisi be given one more chance to attend the meeting, but others suggested that Lukwago should sue his counterpart. Others still suggested that when the meeting reconvenes on Wednesday, the deputy Lord Mayor, Sulaiman Kidandala, should preside over proceedings, since Lukwago has a vested interest in the matters to be discussed. Lukwago vehemently rejected this position, saying he would be in charge.

In another development, the Judiciary has warned Musisi to stop defying court decisions or risk being imprisoned for contempt of court. The warning, issued by the judiciary public relations and communication officer, Elias Kisawuzi, was prompted by Musisi’s defiance of the July 13, 2012 court order that instructed her to open the KDLB office.

Following the verdict, Musisi issued a press release on July 16, saying KCCA was not satisfied with the verdict and would continue consulting with the Attorney General to resolve the impasse.

“The statement is an affront to the administration of justice and in contempt of the Constitutional Court order issued and calculated to undermine the public in the Constitutional Court and rule of law. If KCCA is dissatisfied with the ruling and orders of the Court, it is at liberty to avail itself of the established channels of addressing its grievances,” Kisawuzi stated in a July 17, 2012 press release.

Source: The Observer