The Kisoro District Council meeting, scheduled for the reading of the draft budget, ended prematurely due to escalating confusion, disagreements, and heated exchanges within the local government leadership.
Chaos erupted in the Kisoro District Council hall on Wednesday following the reading of the budget when a group of councilors, who had stepped out to inspect land currently occupied by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), returned to find the proceedings underway.
The commotion began when the Kisoro District Speaker, Amos Hakizimana, suspended the council session for 20 minutes due to disagreements among councilors over a proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between UWA and Kisoro District for the establishment of a tourism information center.
After the session was suspended, some councilors decided to inspect the land in question. However, to their dismay, when they returned, they found that the budget reading had already commenced in their absence.
Agaba James, the LCV Councilor for Southern Division; Kazimil Wilson, the LCV Councilor for Chahi Sub-county; and John Mfitumukiza, the LCV Councilor for Nyarusiza Sub-county, expressed concerns over the district speaker’s decision to commence the budget reading with a minimum quorum of councilors.
This angered them, leading to heated confrontations and running battles within the council chambers. In the midst of the chaos, John Mfitumukiza seized the ceremonial mace in protest of the budget reading.
The altercation resulted in a war of words, forcing the district speaker, Amos Hakizimana, to retreat to his office as the council chambers had effectively turned into a battlefield.
In response to the unrest, Speaker Hakizimana resorted to insulting councilors who questioned his authority, engaging in an exchange of words with them. He accused a section of the councilors of being bribed to undermine his authority by opposing the budget without fully understanding the issue. He argued that tourism is the main source of income for Kisoro District, and therefore, opposing it would hinder the district’s development.
Meanwhile, Kisoro District LCV Chairperson, Abel Bizimana, clarified that the land at the UWA offices had been approved by the Kisoro District Council during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of efforts to promote tourism in the district. Bizimana emphasized that the initiative was aimed at improving tourism and revenue collection for Kisoro District, thereby contributing to its development.
