KCCA Councillors Express Their Dissatisfaction with Ministers for Passing Budget Without Approval

Aine Siggy
5 Min Read
Zahara Luyirika

The Council of KCCA has voiced its dissatisfaction with how the Kampala Ministers bypassed them to approve the KCCA annual budget for 2025–2026, disregarding their concerns. This dissatisfaction arose after the acting KCCA Executive Director, Frank Rusa, disclosed that the Ministers for Kampala had approved the budget.

The KCCA Council scheduled to finalize the annual budget on November 14, but due to certain technical issues, this could not be achieved, resulting in the councillors postponing the discussion. The Central Executive Committee, led by lord mayor Erias Lukwago, was unable to finish the budgeting process.
Nevertheless, a council meeting that took place yesterday at City Hall revealed that the Ministers responsible for Kampala had moved forward with the budget approval without the councillors’ consent, despite the obstacles.
Ritah Nakubulwa, the Lord councillor of Buziga, questioned whether the Ministers considered whether their actions were appropriate without consulting the lord councillors.
However, Frank Rusa, the acting Executive Director of KCCA, stated that services in Kampala cannot be halted due to the political wing’s failure to fulfill its responsibilities. He emphasized that this situation empowers the Ministers to manage Kampala through executive directives.
“We cannot paralyze activities in the city. Rubbish has to be picked, drugs have to be taken to the hospitals, people have to be immunized. You can’t say that we cannot work because we have failed to have a budget. If we fail to work, we are giving the opportunity to the Minister and the government to run the city on executive orders,” said Rusa.
As a result, the councillors expressed their concern that their contributions to the budget had been overlooked. However, Nasur Masaba, the deputy Speaker of KCCA, remarked, “Our colleagues from the CEC interacted with the divisions and chose not to approve the budget due to the devolution. We are united in our call for devolution, but let us not leverage it for political purposes because if you understand the law and the consequences of not passing the budget, why proceed in this manner or maintain the same approach?”
Zahara Luyirika, the Speaker of KCCA, also stated, “We are still in a wait-and-see mode as it is returning for a second reading of the budget co-circular in February 2025. We look forward to ensuring that our priorities are addressed and that we provide solid recommendations for the 2025-26 budget.”
Conversely, Frank Rusa reiterated plans to advocate for an increase in the KCCA budget.
“I intend to present this to the President, stressing that we require a larger budget and need to reassess our priorities correctly. However, we will not request a larger budget unless we are optimally utilizing the resources we currently possess in a measurable, realistic, and accountable manner.”
It is important to note that there has been an ongoing deadlock between the central executive committee led by Lukwago and the KCCA Council during their meetings. This matter has now been referred to the rules and procedure committee for potential disciplinary measures.
Marvis Nakitende, the Lord councillor of Kampala Central, expressed confusion regarding the behavior of their colleagues, suggesting they seem intent on undermining the councillors and the citizens of Kampala. She urged the disciplinary committee to take action.
Meanwhile, KCCA’s deputy spokesperson and Speaker both criticized the Councillors for willfully missing council meetings while showing no signs of regret. They expressed a desire for the legal process to address this issue. It remains to be seen how the Council will proceed in light of this revelation. The councillors will formulate a response after engaging with the Kampala Ministers.
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