Mayor Gumisiriza Kyabwisho during a council meeting

Mayor Gumisiriza Kyabwisho during a council meeting

Mbarara | RedPepper Digital – The Mayor Mbarara City North Division, Gumisiriza Kyabwisho has survived impeachment by his Councilors who had plans to censure him out of office over suspected inconsistencies in his budget.

According to the Finance and planning committee, they shocked the council on Thursday during a council meeting when members of that committee came up with a recommendation on the floor of the council seeking a resolution to impeach the Mayor.

The committee claims that the Mayor and his executive manipulated the budget which was approved by the council.

Nickolus Nuwagaba, a councillor from Biharwe, revealed that they had realized that there are three different budgets from executives which are not understood by the Councilors yet the council is supposed to have only one budget. He said that there are different figures in the budget which was approved by this council.

“The figures which are in the budget are not clearly understood by the Councilors, this is not the budget we approved, the one which was first brought in the council and the one that was submitted to Mbarara City Council are totally different, there are some other projects which were not in the budget laid for approval but we have found out that they have been added secretly after we had already approved the other budget. We have also learnt that there are some workers who have been put in the system and paid illegally when the structures have not even come out from the local government. We have also learnt there are six accounts belonging to Mbarara City North Division and yet we know that the division is supposed to have only one account, where do six accounts exist? That’s one way of corruption” said Nuwagaba.

some of the Councilors of Mbarara City North during the council meeting

Robert Twine, representing Rwemigina ward in Kakika, said that it was too early for Councilors to decide he move to impeach the Mayor who has not been in the chair for even a year.

He added that it’s bad for the council to find that there are three budgets in the process without council knowledge. “It was kind of rushing by Councilors to censure the Mayor, but now at least we have warned him and we hope next time he will learn from his mistakes,” said Twine.

He added that the most dangerous thing here is that information doesn’t reach Councilors, that executive always hides information from these Councilors as there is something fishy which the mayor doesn’t want the Councilors to know.

However, the council sat and resolved to halt the move to censure the Mayor until they go and collect those mistakes found in the budgets.

Kyabwisho told journalists that Councilors had failed to find a way how the council can improve revenue base so that they can also get their allowances and offer better service delivery to the people.

“They only focus on why their allowances are not paid yet there is little revenue collected. As a political head for this division, I can’t focus on paying allowances for workers and ignore services – so this is the reason why these Councilors are fighting me,” said Kyabwisho.

He added the councillors in question have failed to interpret the budget issues and this is orchestrated by those who think they know and eventually mislead their fellows.

He said that all these conflicts are based on political games which are being played and geared by his opponents especially his opponent whom he had contested with Benon Mugume the former Chairman Kakika Division. He added that these opponents are the ones facilitating some groups of Councilors to disorganize the council to prove that the Mayor has failed

About Post Author