Mayor Kakyebezi, Town Clerk roasted over Kikoona Market, Councilors want 72M refunded

By Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara _A section of Councillors from Mbarara City Council have ganged up against the City Mayor Roberrt Mugabe Kakyebezi and Town Clerk Assy Abireebe who are accused of negligence and connivence over Kikoona matooke market, Councilors allege that the City Council has lost UGX 72M in one year which they want it refunded.

On Wednesday this week during a council meeting, there was a heated debate  between the Councilors and the Executive Committee members where the Mayor and the Town Clerk were probed on why the Kikoona market revenue was cut from Shs 16M to 10M  per month without the mandate of Council. Councilors allege that for about three years Kikoona market has been producing only 10M  inteady of 16M.

According to Jenina Kyomuhendo, the female Youth Councilor Mbarara City criticized the discoordination  between the Executive committee citing contradictory utterances and  incompetence of some Leaders in Mbarara City Council.

Kyomuhendo accused the City Mayor and his deputy Prisca Murongo for  telling lies to the council that they cut the money for Kikoona from 16m to 10m.

“Our Deputy Mayor last time told us that there was a meeting that sat and decided to reduce the money, she had committed  to bring all the relevant documents but upto now we have never seen any document, so where are those documents? Much as the deputy Mayor you are trying to defend yourself and your Boss the Mayor but you don’t have the mandate as the deputy Mayor to cut the money without our consent. You’re not even accepting your fault that what you did was wrong, this is a council and stop underlooking us. As it has been alleged, there is a group of people in this council who are individually benefiting from the Kikoona Market money, they are just eating our money.

We shall not sit here as councilors and see all things going a mess, People outside expect services from us, therefore we must take action now, we want the 72M loss be refunded by the Executive committee and the Town Clerk because this is a financial loss to this institution and You took your own decision that is out of council mandate” said Kyomuhendo, Youth Counselor Mbarara City.

Muhammad Byansi, Male Councilor representing Kakoba revealed that there is no documented  agreement between Mbarara City Council and the contractors of Kikoona Matooke Market. He said that there is even no any document of how the contractor pays the Shs 10M.

He also mentioned that the Mbarara City Bosses have connived with the Tenders to change the figures from 16M to 10M so that the rest of the money can be shared by a few.

According to Mayor Kakyebezi , he said that  to resolve the Kikoona market issue, Mbarara City Council must take a decision to construct its own market away from where it is located on the land that is owned by Individuals.

He said that Mbarara City bought land also in Nyakayojo where they are planning to  shift Kikona market too.

“Please let us go and develop our own market on our own land where we must go and dictate and tell the contractor to pay the money we want other than pulling the rope with the people in Kikoona market where we don’t own the land. Otherwise stop accusing me that am eating money from Kikoona market when am also here scratching my head where to get school fees for my kids” said Kakyebezi

After a heated debate, Councilors muted themselves and stopped discussions in the house, something that prompted  the Speaker, Bonny Karutsya Tashobya to adjourn the Council meeting until further notice.

According to the reports Mbarara City has taken backwards as far as revenue collection is concerned since this term began. It is alleged that some money is collected but it ends up in some individuals’ hands without proper accountability. This has resulted into poor service delivery.