Maziba Subcounty LC.3 Councilors have vowed never to return to Council meetings after their sitting allowances were withheld by Kabale District Authorities to compensate a resident whose land was affected by road construction.
The Speaker of the Council, Jolly Byaruhanga suspended business until further notice, following a unanimous decision by Councilors to boycott council until their allowances are paid.
Trouble started from the September 2020 High Court case in which, Odeke Kamukama a resident of Bugarama Parish was awarded UGX37.4 million as compensation for his land affected by Kankodo road that was constructed in 2016.
Mr. Kamukama had sued Kabale District Local Government that constructed the road which connects Bugarama Parish to the rest of Maziba subcounty.
On Wednesday, the Maziba Subcounty Chief Loyce Asiimwe revealed to Councilors that the Kabale District Administration had decided to withhold their sitting allowances among other funds meant for the subcounty for the third quarter, to compensate Kamukama.
Ms. Asiimwe noted that after the court ruling, Subcounty and District Authorities met with Kamukama and pleaded with him to reduce the amount, but he refused arguing that he had wasted a lot of money because the previous subcounty leadership declined to settle the matter with him out of court.
This did not go down well with the councilors who protested the decision, arguing that it is Kabale District that lost the Court case and therefore should pay the compensation to Kamukama.
The Maziba Subcounty LC.3 Chairperson Onesmus Mutungi and LC.3 Female Councilor Kavu Parish Ms Hope Arimpa said that it was unfair to withold funds for Maziba alone yet the subcounty is only an administrative unit in Kabale District.
Mutungi said that if Kabale District insisted on forcing leaders to contribute for the compesation of Kamukama, then every political leader from Maziba sould be affected starting from LC.1 chairpersons to area MPS.
The Maziba Subcounty LC.3 Youth Councilor Emmanuel Ainomugisha moved a motion to suspend council until their sitting allowances were released. He was seconded by Fred Biryahariwe who respresents Bugarama Parish.
Prossy Ngabirano, the LC.3 female Councilor Nyanja Parish and Mwana Wasa, the Deputy Speaker of Council Maziba Subcounty said it was useless to continue spending their own money on transport, yet the subcounty couldn’t implement any policy passed by council due to lack of funding.
However, the Kabale District Administrative Officer – C.A.O Edmond Ntimba said that by withholding the funds for Maziba Subcounty, they were only implementing a resolution passed by the District council in which it was agreed that each subcounty should meet costs arising from compensation for its infrastructural development.
Mr. Ntimba said that the resolution was passed about two years ago when the Council found out that members of the community were conniving with subcounty leaders, to deliberately construct roads through people’s land , and later sue Government for compensation.
He noted that the previous Subcounty leadership should have prepared community members for the incoming project before they included Kankondo road in their budget of financial year 2015/2016.
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