By Abubakar Siraj
MBALE CITY
A bitter disagreement has erupted between the Industrial division Mayor Muhamood Masaba Mutenyo and his division councilors which is likely to disrupt service delivery.
The beef that has been simmering underneath the carpet rose to its maximum boiling temperature during a council budget conference held at the Council Hall on Thursday, 24th October, 2024.
During the budget conference chaired by the Council Speaker, Musa Kasajja, majority of councilors led by the councilor representing Mutoto Ward, Zaidi Wandulu had no kind words for Mayor Masaba who shunned the budget conference and they heaped a catalogue of unsubstantiated accusations against him.
They listed about a dozen allegations against Masaba who was not present in the budget conference which has already affected service delivery in the division.
According to an inside source, the mayor has continuously dodged Budget conferences and council sittings at the division since the beginning of the year, the reason councilors are mad at him.
They accuse their Mayor of having a very negative attitude towards his council and has no respect for them but intimidates and manipulates to serve his whims.
The councilors made a breakdown of Masaba’s attendance/absenteeism as follows:
In April, the Mayor was in office for five days, May seven days, June 13 days, July eight days and August three days which means the much desired service delivery has suffered greatly owing to the position of the Mayor as a political supervisor.
One of the closest councilors to the Mayor defended him and denied the allegations from his fellow councilors who he accuses of being most corrupt and greedy, wanting to arm-twist him into succumbing to their illegal gymnastics.
He urged his fellow councilors to work hard instead of thinking that they can grab money from the local government.
Without mincing words, he described the fellow councilors as poverty-stricken individuals who use blackmail so that they are given leeway to grab money from prospective contractors.
”I have adequate experience and knowledge in the local government, so there is nothing new they can teach the mayor apart from their trademark blackmail and threats which they have mastered,” the combative councilor hit back.
Without mentioning names, a councilor his names withheld, further hit hard saying some of those in the Council have fleets of concubines making them scratch everywhere for money and do not deserve to be leaders because of their character.
