By Juma Magino
BUSIA
The Prime Minister has said that her office is going to hold a reconciliation meeting with Busia district councilors who are embroiled in continuous conflicts with the District Chairperson.
Rt. Hon. Robbinah Nabbanja made the remarks on Saturday 11/03/2023 during the belated 37th Liberation Day celebrations held Bukwekwe Primary School Playground in Lumino-Majanji Town Council, Busia District.
Two weeks ago, Busia District councilors moved a motion to censure the LCV Chairperson Stephen Wasike Mugeni over what they termed as “abuse of office”. The leaders claimed the Chairperson has of recent been out of order and running the district like a personal enterprise.
In response, Wasike said that the councilors who petitioned the Ministry of Local Government accusing him of “abuse of office” lacked facts to back their allegations. He further told our reporter that a section of members at the district are utilizing this moment to frustrate the Auditor General’s report which cited mismanagement of public funds meant for service delivery within the district.
According to Mugeni, over 2 Billion shillings was released to cater for different programs within the district; however, there is no proper accountability provided on expenditure. He also says another Shs263 million shillings was diverted by yet to be identified members of the technical staff.
Nabbanja who worked in Busia district as a Resident District Commissioner before joining elective politics disclosed that she has known the district as a hub of conflicts and she wondered what could be the root cause of all these chicken fights that have left the district crippled in service delivery. She added that her office has selected 24th-03-2023 as the day she will hold a meeting with both parties to forge a way of resolving the in-fights.
Eric Masiga, the NRM chairperson in the district accused the leaders of using their respective offices to oppress other people. He told the Prime minister that Busia is bleeding and accused the district chairperson for being at the forefront of frustrating the district.
