KAMPALA–Over 200 councillors have arrived at Kyakwanzi Leadership Institute to attend a week-long training programme.
The councillors were flagged off by Kampala minister Beti Kamya at the President’s Office. They are being driven in three buses and two mini-buses.
For the last two weeks, councillors based at City Hall have been attacking Kamya for not using proper channels to organize the programme.
It’s not yet established whether the city executive director, Jennifer Musisi, released the funds Kamya asked to facilitate the training.
Councillors had advised Kamya to use part of the Shs7b budget given to her ministry in this financial year to conduct her political activities.
Majority of the 200 councillors who travelled to Kyakwanzi for the training are stationed at urban division levels.
At the end of the training, each of them is expected to pocket Shs500,000. Bagging such an amount is what is annoying councilors like Oliver Namazzi who calls it a wastage of taxpayers’ money.
“I refused to go because the programme was not channeled through the Lord Mayor’s office, who is the political head of the city,” Namazzi explained.
Those opposed to the training argue that Kamya wants to use the forum to hoodwink President Museveni that all the city councillors are supporting the lifting of age limit.
She, however, refuted the allegations, arguing that councillors have no business with amending Article 102(b) of the Constitution.
“That business is for MPs but not councillors,” she added.
A special meeting was convened recently by the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago to discuss the training programme and during the meeting, the councilors voted against the meeting.
Kamya went ahead to convince the councillors at the urban divisions to attend the training.
She even revoked the resolution passed by the authority cancelling the training using section 79 of KCCA Act, which gives her veto power as Kampala minister to decide on any matter passed by the authority.
According to a programme released by the Office of the President last week, the councillors will undergo a week-long training on political education, basic military training, physical training and learning Kiswahili language.
Brig Gen David Kasura-Kyomukama, the director of Kyakwanzi National leadership Institute, who will be in charge of the training, said the students will be given sessions of skill at arms every morning and they will conduct free range exercise.
