Newly created Kabale City hangs in balance as four different parties petition speaker of parliament

Four different parties from greater Kabale have petitioned Rt.Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, the Speaker of Parliament over the creation of Kabale city.

The four cite that demarcations of the proposed city were done on table by a certain group of people, without consultation was made in the process.

The four parties are Joggo Kenneth Biryabarema, who is the Rubanda district Chairperson, Mr. Gerald Akambasa who is the speaker of the Rubanda district council, Mr. Pierre Mbabazi who is the former mayor contestant of Kabale municipality and the Kabale municipal council.

In a letter seen by watchdog Uganda, Biryabarema says Rubanda District local council being the highest political authority in the area has never been consulted such that her areas are curved into Kabale city.

“The Rubanda district council has never been consulted neither passed any resolution to give way the parishes to Kabale district to form the city as the law requires” Joggo wrote.

SOME parishes of Rubanda district on the proposed Kabale city demarcations have been swallowed to Kabale.

They include Bubare, Kitojo, Bushura, Nyamiyaga, Kagarama, and Muyanje all in Bubare Sub County and Bugungiro in Nyamweru Sub County.

Akambasa, in his letter wrote that ‘selfish, malicious and unknown individuals had usurped powers of the district council by taking way her powers.’

“It is regrettable that the district council powers have been usurped by selfish, malicious, and unknown individuals  by acting on her behalf by giving away these parishes without any consultation and without following proper procedures,” Akambasa wrote.

Kabale Municipal council and Mbabazi  also urged that no consultations had been made while demarcating the proposed city.

 According to the local government act, for a town to be elevated to a city, the number of her inhabitants should be approximately fifty thousand.

Unknown individuals on this note have chosen to influence local government to migrate some parishes and sub counties to the proposed city without consulting local authorities.

Earlier this month, Members of Parliament rejected a motion by government on creation of cities, citing poor preparation.

The lawmakers, Mr Medard Lubega Sseggona (DP, Busiro East) and Wilfred Niwagaba (Ind, Ndorwa East) said they were suspicious of the hasty manner in which the government presented its request, especially with many proposals falling short on boundary demarcations.

Government intends to create 15 cities of which seven; Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Mbale and Masaka become operational in July 2020. The rest will be operationalized between 2021 and 2023.

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