By Aaron Okotel
MBALE CITY
Chaos and physical violence erupted at the Mbale City Council Hall on Wednesday, July 1st, during the first sitting of city councilors representing the Industrial City Division.
The meeting, chaired by the Division Speaker, Moses Wafula, had been expected to form working committees but quickly degenerated into live fists, forcing an abrupt and chaotic adjournment.
The trouble began before the agenda of the day could even be read or adopted. A section of the councilors vehemently opposed the sitting, labeling it illegal due to a violation of notice protocols.
According to Council Rules of Procedure, members must be served a clear notice at least seven days prior to a council meeting. However, councilors revealed they received their invitations on Saturday for a meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
Hon. Wafuba Muhammed, a councilor, raised a formal motion challenging the legality of the house, explicitly citing the rules of procedure. The motion instantly polarized the room, leading to a breakdown of order and subsequent physical altercations.
Speaking after the chaos, Councilor Simali Antony criticized the method of protest, though he acknowledged the legal validity of the complaint.
“Procedurally, the members who were raising the issue of adjourning the council were not in order,” Antony stated. “They were supposed to write a petition to the Clerk to Council through the Speaker, addressing that the timeframe given was not within the confines of the law.”
Antony argued that despite the late notice, the council should have prioritized service delivery over technicalities. “Our coming here is in the interest of public importance and the people who voted for us”
Councillor Musisi Musa, representing Bukasakya Ward, alleged that the procedural clash was merely a proxy war over political appointments.
“It is bad luck that we came to council when a section of our colleagues had different thinking,” Musa said. “We wanted to elect committees, but the sitting failed because the Mayor, Abudallah Madoi, and the Speaker, Moses Wafula, both had different committee members of their choice. They have personal differences. We ask these two leaders to come together and solve their issues so we can represent our voters.”
Charles Nyeko, the Councillor representing Council Ward, shifted the blame directly onto the leadership of the current Speaker, Moses Wafula.
“The speaker is to blame because the meeting could have gone on after agreeing amicably, but he failed to control the house,” Nyeko asserted.
Both Councillor Nyeko and the Deputy Resident City Commissioner (RCC) for the Industrial Division, Hamza Banja, have urged the Town Clerk to organize an immediate induction workshop for the legislators.
“It is unfortunate for honorable councilors to behave this way,” Deputy RCC Banja said. “We ask the relevant authorities, more so the Town Clerk, to call for an induction so that the councilors know the do’s and don’ts before debating. This is so shameful.”
