By Sadique Bamwita
Entebbe
The Entebbe Municipality Deputy Mayor, Charles Kabwama and Entebbe Division ‘B’ LC3 boss-Richard Sekyondo plus seven councilors face legal action after the Legal services and Investigations committee of Equal Opportunities commission summoned them to explain how they came to personalize the newly constructed Kitooro Taxi Park yet they knew very well it had original market vendors.
The seven councilors to be barbecued by Equal Opportunities Commission Legal team include Councilor Jackie Mirembe, Yasin Ssemanda Kyeyune, Ahmed Bawonga Kasawuli, Innocent Ssewankambo, Nyansio Mutebi, Hassan Kitoogo and Twaha Kikomeko plus the chairperson of Kitooro Taxi park Lovi Mangeni Wandera.
The trouble for the accused politicians stems from a petition filed by the former market vendors who accuse them of using their political influence to allocate themselves several lockups yet majority of these embattled politicians were neither tenants nor landlords in the previous Kitooro Taxi Park.
According to the summons issued by Prof. Sunday Nicholas Olwor on behalf of the secretary to the commission, the eleven selfish politicians are required to appear physically before the Equal Opportunities Commission Legal Services and Investigations Department on April, 15, 2025 for each of them to answer for his or her egoism.
In the same vein, the commission has tasked Entebbe Municipal Council to present on that day the list of people who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with council in 2017, those allocated lockups in 2025, any document on that day or witnesses to rely on in support of council evidence.
The commission vehemently warned the self -centered politicians that in case they don’t appear before the Commission’s legal and investigation department on the set date; the commission will have no option but to invoke the provisions of the Law in force.
On April 3, 2025, the aggrieved market vendors led by Dennis Magyezi –the lead petitioner, petitioned the Equal Opportunities Commission seeking for fairness in allocation of lockups in the newly constructed Kitooro taxi park.
They accused the greedy councilors of influencing the Municipal Commercial officer, Stephen Mulindwa to allocate each of them seven lockups in addition to allocating them space in the taxi park to mount their kiosks.
In 2017, Entebbe Municipal council demolished all the old structures in Kitooro Taxi park and began redeveloping the taxi park, and during that time all the affected market vendors were promised to be given lockups and stalls when the construction is complete, but unfortunately council never fulfilled this pledge after selfish politicians dominated the allocation exercise and each politician got more than seven lockups while the original market vendors got nothing.
The affected market vendors argue that this action violates the provisions of Equal Opportunities Section 14 of the Equal Opportunities Act Cap 7.
However, in their petition, the disadvantaged market vendors want the Equal Opportunities to do the following; invoke the powers under section 14 (3) & 15(4) (b) of the Equal Opportunities Act Cap 7 to compel all the accused politicians to surrender the lockups or any other space acquired in the newly constructed Kitooro Taxi park and put in place an equitable arrangement that takes into consideration or gives priority to the petitioners for purposes of fairness.
They also want the EOC to order Entebbe Municipal council to conduct a fair process of reallocating the lockups or any other space in the disputed Taxi park.
In addition, the disgruntled vendors EOC t direct council to review and strictly observe the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the petitioners in 2017 and finally to declare that the conduct of the Deputy Mayor Charles Kabwama and Entebbe Division ‘B’ LC3 boss-Richard Sekyondo of allocating themselves lockups or to their lovers or relatives as something illegal and incoherent or irregular.
