KCCA now a dysfunctional institution, says Lukwago

Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has said the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) he superintends over is now a dysfunctional and powerless institution.

Appearing on NBS Morning Breeze on Monday, Lukwago said the authority is dysfunctional with a number of different power centres operating at the behest of President Museveni.

"KCCA by its nature right now is dysfunctional. A dysfunctional institution cannot deliver a functional city," Lukwago said.

The mayor was responding to a question on why he has been unable to build a functioning city despite having a good working relationship with the current executive director of KCCA.

Lukwago attributed the problem to overlaps among presidentially appointed leaders, saying they have failed to coordinate and harmonise the running of the city.

"You have a Minister who claims to be in charge of the whole Kampala and Metropolitan area yet you have the Metropolitan area which has its own Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi. Now how do you handle that overlap? Is there a platform where they meet and harmonise their operations," he said.

"Then you also have six RCCs who have also allocated themselves powers and curved off their own territories. You've got the executive director and other directors who are answerable to the President who is their appointing authority and they are not appointed by the institution of KCCA," the Lord Mayor added.

He said service delivery in Kampala would be better if the institution had an executive director appointed by the council or the Public Service.

"So, you've got these people who get executive orders from above and how do they harmonise with policies generated at local level by the elected leadership. It is another challenge,"

Lukwago stated that he rarely raises the issue of government interference in the institution's affairs for fear of being labelled a 'crybaby'.