Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) officials have clashed with MPs over failure to renovate Kasubi Family Primary School.
The MPs observed that whereas KCCA received Shs300m from the ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the Authority did not use the allocated funds to renovate the school, but rather lied to parliament and the ministry that the money had served its purpose.
KCCA officials were appearing before the parliamentary Committee of Education to present their budget framework papers for approval. The documents from KCCA indicated that 5 classrooms had been renovated at Kasubi Primary School.
Moses Kasibante, Rubaga North County raised the dust when he paraded photos of the ramshackled School to the shock of the MPs. Kasibante last week made a courtesy visit to the school.
“I am the area MP I know what is taking place at the ground that’s why I have come with this overwhelming evidence. There is nothing like any renovations of the said classrooms,” Kasibante said.
“What was done by the head teacher of the school was just to convert the formally houses which were accommodating teachers into classrooms and these rooms are very small. This school has about 700 pupils and could not just sit under the sun,” Kasibante said.
Kasibante further asked KCCA bosses led by Jennifer Musisi and Lord Major Erias Lukwago to come to parliament and explain the whereabouts of this money.
“Just like she is always giving time to the city carnivals, taking soda while standing and making adverts all the time showing off we think under that spirit she could give parliament time to come and justify the way about of this money. They are putting our pupils at a very big risk because these Classes are on a verge of collapsing.” Kasibante said.
Joseph Ssewungu, Kalungu West County MP said, “If the court order never stopped the school from running, why did you stop renovating the school? Since we don’t know the qualifications of this woman presenting the report (Namuddu), we can send them back and summon their heads.”
When tasked to explain, the acting Director Education, Juliet Namuddu neither accepted nor denied the allegations. She however argued that although money was given out to the Authority, renovations were stopped by a court order.
Matters were from bad to worse for the KCCA officials when MPs nearly strangled them after Sam Serunkuuma, the KCCA Director Revenue Correction was overheard saying, “Oba kati utwagazaa kki? Translated to mean “Now what do they (MPs) need from us?”
Ssewungu and Kasibante jumped off their seats and followed the KCCA bosses outside where the two camps exchange bitter words.
“That man should not intimidate me, see he is even hiding away from cameras. He is claiming that we are against them but we don’t hold any grudges against him. The mistake is their own making and they are attacking us, they broke down the school, they have not reconstructed it and they are here arguing,” Sewungu said.
