Ms. Jennifer Musisi and Minster Betty Kamya
A proposal by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to spend Shs600M on the registration of boda boda operators around the city, received a cold welcome amongst MPs who deemed the item double funding.
The Authority had proposed allocation to corporate Services of Shs6.31Bn, but after the Committee on Presidential Affairs scrutinized the activities under the program, the MPs argued that they were constrained to recommend for approval transfers.
Among the activities that were rejected included Uganda Railways (Shs220M) on grounds that the Authority disowned the activity as one being run by Ministry of Works and Transport, the remittance to Teachers and Health Workers SACCO (Shs500 million) was also rejected.
Boda Boda registration in the City (Shs600M), Legal fees for Kampala Land Board (Shs900M) external travel of KCCA staff (Shs250M), with MPs arguing that these are covered under Human Resource and Administration and management of market elections (Shs106 million).
While appearing before the Committee recently, Benny Namugwanya State Minister for Kampala Affairs defended the move to register boda bodas stating that the decision was premised on a cabinet decision ordering the Authority to come up with a system to manage the boda boda industry, after reports that criminals were using the motor cycles to carry out criminal acts within the city.
In their recommendations to Parliament, the Committee called for Shs2.526Bn re-allocated, from Corporate Services to other priority interventions identified by the Committee and only Shs.3.734Bn be appropriated for corporate services program.
Additionally, MPs raised questions on why KCCA has refused to prescribe fees charged for solid waste management and have the prescribed fees published in public places as had earlier been recommended.
The matter followed complaints received by the Committee in which city dwellers decried the exorbitant fees on solid waste collection and when the MPs sought clarification, KCCA officials said that the various rates are according to the amount of solid waste generated and frequency of collection with fees ranging from Shs3000 to Shs30,000 per month for door to door customers.
