Maracha District Budget-sitting turns politically Explosive

Maracha – Top Maracha district political wigs on Friday 29th May 2020, converted a budget meeting Hall into a battleground.

The contest, that pitied the district Chairperson, Adiga Lawrence Ozubia against two Members of Parliament,Hon.Ayaka Rose Atima and Hon. Acidri James in the arena while Hon. Denis Oguzu Lee, in absentia was all about who tells the truth and who does the right to voters in the district.

To understand the dynamics of the political battle, one should know that Maracha district boss is a potential contender against Hon. Acidri James, the incumbent in Maracha East Constituency, come 2021. He is
Only waiting for the storm of COVID-19 pandemic to blow off to kick start a full blown campaigns.

Hon. Denis Oguzu Lee of Maracha constituency neither shares a common interest with the district Chairperson nor are bad terms but as development oriented leader, Adiga had to taste his dagger.

Meanwhile, the root cause of the bitterness between the district Chairperson and the Woman MP. Ayaka, calls for investigation, since though, the two do not rival on any common political interest, as their constituencies differ, they have been secretly nurturing deep grudges.

Hon. Ayaka and the district Chairperson, Adiga, who had of recent left the burdens of war upon their handlers and party cadres, in the social media couldn’t persevere the long distance battle any longer than taking to face to take attacks on Friday.

Before the Friday explosive exchanges, Adiga had branded Hon. Ayaka a liar to claiming to have played a key role in connecting to Office of the Prime Minister to get relief aid for victims of infamous mysterious inferno by suspected evil spirits that left hundreds hunger, homeless and with some women abandoning their hubbies.

Hon. Ayaka got an opportune moment to hit back the district boss with same axe that was used on her, when a female councilor, Hon. Grace, from Yivu Sub county tasked Adiga to explain how he makes selection of roads and bridges to be worked on in their district.

The councilor labels Adiga’s ways of operations as chairperson of Roads Committee as “a Kangaroo system”, uncoordinated and without follow ups.

According Hon. Grace, the roads committee has not briefed the council for years about their performance.

She accused the committee leaving some road works and bridges unfinished and jumping to start another without first getting certification note to show the council.

As one of the members, Hon. Ayaka laid blame of the collapse of Maracha district roads committee on the chairperson, saying he has failed on convening meetings.

Unknown to the district Chairperson, the Woman Member of Parliament had set him a trap, but Adiga opened the full-fledged political battle by exhausting his 5 closing minutes to launch a none-counter productive attack on the two legislators who outwitted by mounting more spirited offensive smashing the district Governor into pulp.

“Hon. Speaker, allow me to respond to questions directed to me. The direct one which is still fresh in my memory is why Maracha district roads committee is not functional? Allow me to inform the house that I’m the chairperson of that roads committee but the committee has not held meetings for a number of times and I have evidence in my office inviting members. All the time an MP tell you ” I’m caught up,I’m caught up”. So allow me to inform the House today that the none functionality of this roads committee, the blame can’t go to the district Chairperson, CAO and the engineer. The blame goes to Members of Parliament” the district chairperson launches his political missile.

He insists the legislator fail the district roads committee because they do not attach value to it.

“A number of times I call them, only one MP comes. We need not to take a blame but on my side, the blame goes to MPs. They have not attached value to the roads committee and therefore, my plan is to call all of them, then, we draw a schedule for the entire year, otherwise, this issue of saying Chairperson. No, I have evidence of invitation letters in my office where the MPs deliberately refused to attend the meeting” Adiga emphasises.

In another unguarded political explosion against the area legislators,
the district chairperson blames them for failing to lobby for Maracha district health centre IV to be upgraded to hospital status due to political disunity.

“Mr. Speaker, the issue of fully fledged hospital for Maracha district. We know that Maracha health centre IV is our future district hospital but essential infrastructure still missing. Fencing the facility, doctors accomodation, staff quarters and theatre are not in place. One important factor affecting this progress is disunity of political leaders of Maracha district. We need a big political force to lobby for resources such that Maracha health centre IV becomes a full fledged district hospital” the chairperson observes but to the dismay of his other counterparts in politics.

On a wrong note, Adiga demanded to know how Maracha district will benefit from Ugx. 20 million which Hon. Acidri James returned to Parliamentary Commission. He asked the Chief Administrative officer if it possible for the district to get the money meant for fighting COVID-19 pandemic than being eaten in the national treasury.

” I want to request the relevant authorities to make follow up. It will be good if Maracha benefits from the money because it was meant for the district. We were to get a total of Ugx. 60 million from the three MPs but its unfortunate that we have to follow the other Ugx. 20M” Adiga hints.

Indirectly, the district boss was clabbering Hon. Acidri who returned to Parliamentary commission account, the controversial money given to MPs to take to their districts to fight COVID-19 pandemic.

Hon. Ayaka who followed suit in the protocol didn’t dwell much on issues of the meeting than rushing to the battle field.

“I want to thank the district council for coming up with this document and approving the budget. I want to comment you for that and the second issue is the response of the chairperson on the district roads committee meetings” the woman MP launches her offensive from a mild point before rising to the climax.

“Chairman and the committee members have not being coordinating issues. We as MPs have always been demanding on Facebook for this committee meetings to no avail. Sometimes we travel to the district only to find that the meeting is mysteriously postponed and we are not informed” Hon. Ayaka unleashes her arsenal.

The Legislator wonder what hidden motive the district chairman could be harbouring that makes him to dodge the roads committee meetings.

“Many times we reach up here to find there is no meeting and I don’t know what is his plans as he wants to be the only person to have preserve over the roads sector” the MP wonders the sole decision making motive of the chairperson.

Hon. Ayaka presented the council meeting with social media response of Hon. Denis Oguzu Lee from her mobile phone saying the absentee legislator was also disappointed conducts of their chairperson.

Before branding the chairman a liar in a council hall, Hon. Ayaka says her colleague Hon. Acidri would tell his version of the committee chairperson’s outrageous behaviour.

“If I’m throwing too many bombs, its as a result of frustration of issues at the district roads committee. As a matter, this is not the way to go and the chairman must reform. Next time when there is a meeting, he shouldn’t disappear from thin air because we are beginning to think that he is hiding some thing” MP. Ayaka pins the district boss.

“Right now its hard to trace where we are and where things are going. I think chairman is out of order. He should reform and repent his lies. We have given him a room to change and next time let him behave better. Why does he want to keep other members out?” MP Ayaka concludes, terming her submission as that of a mother to her child.

By the time Maracha East MP. Acidri took to the podium, every knew the district chairman was in for more worse terror.

As the room descended into a total silence with all ponder on the next mode of attack, Hon. Acidri starts with gouging the speaker not to use the chronometer against him.

“Hon. Speaker, I know you are going to gouge me. A’m surprised that my chairperson who has served for four years doesn’t know how money comes to the district and is asking very ridiculous questions” Hon. Acidri starts his ballistic bombardment in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic cash he returned to Parliamentary commission account.

“In my opinion, this is my RTG for the transfer of this money. It was transfered on 12th May 2020 at Centenary Bank, Forest Mall and I took this receipt to the clerk who is the accounting officer on 13th of May. This has been photocopied to the district Chief Administrative officer and CFO so that they can make a formal request for this money to be channelled to the district account” hon. Acidri explains while waving a receipt in his hand to the councilors to see.

“That’s how institutions work and that what I believe in. That’s a part of my contribution of leadership to this country, that we must respect institutions. At no single time when I find money in my account that I do not know the source, I should be able to redirect it. That how this money will reach Maracha. Mr. Chairman, that’s how government works. Government doesn’t work the way you think” the MP hammered the remains the district boss who had already received from woman MP. more than he could take.

On district roads committee saga, Hon. Acidri pounded the chairperson harder than the blows from his female counterpart. He rule that the biggest error, the committee member made was failing to remove their chairperson.

“On district roads committee meetings, as my colleague has stated, I think the only mistake we have done is failing to remove the district chairperson from being the chairperson of the roads committee because we elected him. We have the powers to do it. To be dishonest about the functions of the DRC, we should have removed the chairman. We can still do it if we want the sector to function effectively and efficiently in the remaining period of time, we would do that. What other things he says, I don’t take it as facts” Hon. Acidri threatens his potential political opponent.

Hon. Acidri continued tussling Maracha district chairman on linking absence of district hospital to political disunity.

“In respect to health sector, I over heard my chairman saying we need political weight to bring hospital to Maracha district. does Koboko have one, is there any hospital in Moyo” Hon. Acidri inquires.

He notes that Yumbe got hospital during Obote’s regime and that of Adjumani was built because of Hon. Moses Ali who is a military general and that many districts do not have hospitals.

“In our small weight, we have been doing what we can that’s why Maracha is not missing on critical services. The upgrading of the health centres, the issues of seed schools but I see people who are rhetoric, abusing us around that there is no political weight, a’m surprised” he expresses.

Hon. Acidri refers the district chairperson to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s principal of “Otita” meaning, planing, where issues are handled according to the priorities.

“President Museveni was here talking about otita, otita, that they do things in phases and simenidyt is talking about political weight. We will take these lies and put it in a garbage bin” the MP nailed the district chairperson.

At this time, the budget meeting Hall had shrunk to mortuary silence only to resurrect by the voice of the speaker, Hon. Wani Emmanuel, calling Hon. Alex Onzima to address his people.

It was Hon. Onzima, as a former MP for then Maracha County, to bring the situation to calm.

He says, as senior political leaders in the district, the three should find suitable environment to resolve their differences than before the lowers leaders who might pick wrong presidency from their elders.

Before the political bickering ensued, Maracha District council approved a total budget of about Ugx. 33,446,930 for fiscal year 2020/21 in scientific council sitting, ensuring standard operating procedure.

Sources of funds

⏹️Ugx 215,093,000 will be Local Government Own Source Revenue;
⏹️Ugx 3,391,351,000 will be Conditional Central Government Transfers;
⏹️Ugx 20,965,707,000 will be Discretionary Central Government transfers
⏹️Ugx 8,343,215,000 will be other Government transfers.

Summary of allocations by department.

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