KCCA Speaker Ssebuufu invites Muhoozi to council meeting

• KCCA Speaker John Mary Ssebuufu has invited Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba to address the council on Kampala roads.

• Ssebuufu rejected Muhoozi’s plan to take over Kampala’s roads budget, saying government must follow procedures.

• He said KCCA needs Muhoozi’s support, especially in lobbying President Museveni for more funding.

Newly elected Kampala Capital City Authority Speaker John Mary Ssebuufu has extended an invitation to Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the UPDF’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) to appear before the KCCA council and discuss with the new councillors about his plans for Kampala’s roads.

Ssebuufu, a member of the opposition National Unity Platform,  said Muhoozi needed to discuss his aspirations for the city with the council rather than trying to take over its responsibilities.

He was responding to Muhoozi’s recent comments in which vowed to take over Kampala city’s road budget.

On May 19, Muhoozi said he would take control of Kampala’s roads budget as Chief of Defence Forces.

“I shall say one more thing today. The entire budget for roads in Kampala will be under my control (CDF). I will determine who builds and repairs roads,” Muhoozi posted.

On that day, Muhoozi had made several posts in which he criticised Kampala’s poor roads, flooding, corruption and weak infrastructure. He said the UPDF, under his command, would oversee the roads budget.

But Ssebuufu, in an interview with NTV, said he does not support such a takeover.

“Muhoozi’s comments on taking over the roads budget for Kampala, I do not support that because that is not how governments are run. There are procedures,” Ssebuufu said.

The speaker said instead, that KCCA needs moral support from Muhoozi, not a takeover of city operations.

“My request to him is to come to the council and address us so we can tell him how we want to run this city. All we need is support from him but not taking over the operations,” he said.

“We need him to help us speak to the president, who is also his father and who appointed him as CDF. He should tell him about his aspirations for a better Kampala,” Ssebuufu said.

The KCCA Speaker also noted that key city officials already fall under presidential authority. 

He said the minister for Kampala, the KCCA Executive Director and the directors who handle the city budget are all appointed by the president.

Ssebuufu said Kampala’s main challenge is underfunding. He said KCCA needs more money from the national budget to provide services and fix the city’s infrastructure.

“In order for KCCA to do its job of providing services to the people of Kampala we need money from the national budget. As per our 5 year roadmap we need at least Shs 2.4 trillion annually to transform this city,” he said.

Yet, he said, the government has allocated only half of the amount for the coming financial year.

“That is why we are appealing to the Ministry of Finance and the president to try and prioritise the capital city like you do with national defence,” Ssebuufu said.