Stop Conflicts over Kamukuzi assets, move away to  Bwizibwera and work- JB Bamuturaki tells Chairman Tabaro and Kakyebezi

By Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara_ The Former Mbarara District LC5 Boss Capt. JB Tumusiime Bamuturaki has broken silence over Kamukuzi properties/ assets as conflicts and disagreements escalate between Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi and Didas Twesigye Tabaro the current Mbarara District Chairman on who should own properties at Kamukuzi.

There has been pulling the rope between the two Bosses (City Mayor and the LC5 Chairman) ever since the Cities were created from the Districts in Uganda, Tabaro has always insisted that he  can not leave properties at Kamukuzi hill to be owned by Mbarara City much as they are located in the City boundaries but they were bought and constructed by the District.

On the other hand, Mayor Kakyebezi has also claimed these assets on grounds that the district is not mandated to own government assets within another Administrative unit as long as it shifts to another place.

Kakyebezi further claims that an administrative unit cannot operate into the other that Tabaro and his staff should go to Bwizibwera and forget the ownership of immovable properties at Kamukuzi hill.

Some of the District administrative staff offices are still occupied at Kamukuzi hill as Mbarara District Headquarters located within Mbarara City, there are various assets and properties that the district has been fetching a lot of revenue from.

Some of the assets which the district Chairman is fighting for to never go into the ownership of Mbarara City include; the building rented by MUBS and MBA, Nganwa Hostel, King of Kings Church area, AMPROC/ UNICEF area among others.

However, during the recent commissioning of the PPDA Building Mbarara Branch at Kamukuzi Hill which was officiated by the State Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development Henry Musasizi, the Ex Mbarara District Chairman Capt. JB Bamuturaki called for harmony between Mbarara City and Mbarara District Leaderships to stop conflicts and disagreements over asset issues at Kamukuzi.

He said that creation of Cities in Uganda by the NRM Government is one of the opportunities for the people of Mbarara and Western region.

He revealed that it is mandatory that where the City is created,  the District should move away and work from the area where the Government could have gazetted for that particular Administrative Unit.

“As NRM, our focus is to urbanize the rural areas. Having the City it’s an opportunity for our people and it is one of the areas we are trying to support. And it is clear that where the City is created,  the District should move away, and am happy that the Ministry of Finance has allocated funds worth Shs 1B to each district that was cut from the City to make them move and begin the construction of its headquarters. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any disagreement between Mayor Kakyebezi and Chairman Tabaro. And moreover these are national policies, it is not going to affect Mbarara alone but it will affect all newly created Cities and the Districts” said Bamuturaki, former Mbarara District Boss

“Me as a leader, it’s one of the reasons why I am still praised and respected by the People of Mbarara, during my tenure as the District Chairman I played my role to ensure that Mbarara is given a regional City, and we ensured that we give some lands to strategic Government entities to put up regional Centers like this one of PPDA because we are direct beneficiaries, the City and the District will benefit before others. Me, I was focussed enough and I was looking at a hundred years to come and you could not hear the disagreements between me and the Mayor because I know the role of the City Mayor and the role of the District Chairman. There I call upon the Leaders to always sit together and agree, I must tell you that the Land and structures at Kamukuzi all belong to the government, so as an Individual you come and serve and leave them and someone else will come and serve. So I call up on my friend Chairman Tabaro and his staff to stop the war over assets and go to Bwizibwera to serve closer to their people well” he added

Bamuturaki said these following the exchange of words happened between the City Mayor Kakyebezi, Didas Tabaro and the newly appointed Ass. RDC Mbarara District during the PPDA function that were all rotating on the Kamukuzi assetS ownership. During the Function, Mayor Kakyebezi appealed to Minister Musasizi  to put the Government on tension to give the districts money so that they can fully shift and work within their areas of jurisdiction to avoid the alarming conflicts between the City and the District.

He further asked Minster Musasizi and the Government not to create more Cities. “When You go to the Cabinet,  raise this important issue that the issues of Cities and Districts in terms of Administration and assets should be sorted. And if you are to create more, at least you begin from an area where you have made a very wrong transition and a very good direction, creating other more Cities will disturb us so much” said Kakyebezi.

In his Address, Minister Musasizi informed the public that the Government of Uganda has no money to create other more Cities.

“These things of Administrative Units , those ones don’t give us any money, they simply give us spending pressure on the already constrained resource envelope, therefore we are saying some things like creating more new cities can wait. If you want to make Cities, you will have to wait, first of all these existing ones are not yet funded. Forestance,  Mbarara City is only collecting NTR (Non- Tax Revenue) of Shs 9B and the government is allocating 76B, where is this money going, you are paying staff of about 400 and all other costs. Therefore, the goal of government now is to put money where is most needed” said Minister Musasizi