Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago has expressed his dissatisfaction over KCCA budget cut proposals.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Lukwago said KCCA budget has been cut from Shs520billion to Shs406billion which will greatly affect the transformation of the City as projected by 2025.
“We are telling the Prime Minister. We are telling this government; we don’t make this document to hoodwink Ugandans. We don’t make documents for cosmetic purposes,” said Lukwago.
Lukwago said if KCCA budget is not improved, their proposals are going to be useless.
He said there is no budget for newly created electoral areas adding that they are very many in Kampala.
He said other services in the road sector, drainage and garbage collection are also likely to be affected.
“We may not be in position to achieve the goals we have made in our strategic plan; we had taken the issue of fixing the roads as one of the priorities, we said we are going to invest massively in the construction of roads,” he said.
He also condemned a move by Minister of state for Kampala to restrict campaign posters from some parts of city and threatening politicians with a fine of over Shs11million.
Lukwago insisted that the Electoral Commission is the institution mandated with the regulation of posters and not the Minister of Kampala.
Lukwago told journalists at City hall on Monday that KCCA has no legal mandate to remove these posters and asked the Ministers to withdraw the directives.
Last week, government through the Minister of Kampala Benny Namugwanya warned politicians found placing posters in ‘wrong” places as well as those found culpable of noise pollution that they risk being thrown in jail or face a monetary fine of at least Shs1million.
Namugwanya noted that they are concerned with the continued haphazard placement and display of advertisements in form of fliers, posters, placards and billboards in areas that are not authorised for such purposes as well as uncontrolled noise in the city.
The authority warned those who would defy the law and place posters in impermissible areas like road junctions, pathways, security installations and traffic signage, will face the wrath of the law.
Lukwago said that KCCA would only have a say if it had an ordinance it is following unfortunately, the Outdoor advertising Ordinance is yet to be put in place.
According to Lukwago, this is a political season and politicians should be left to put out the posters.