Councilors in Nyendo-Mukungwe division have accused the leadership of the Masaka City Council of deliberately withholding their allowances and frustrating the execution of approved work plans.
During a sitting for the reading and passing of the division’s next financial year budget, councilors accused the leadership of Masaka City Council of what they described as deliberate attempts to suppress their authority by denying them finances to execute their responsibilities.
Joseph Yiga, the Speaker for Nyendo-Mukungwe Division Council noted that they have not been able to accomplish programs as per this financial year’s work plan, because the City Council did not release the required finances in time.
Besides the planned projects that include among others, routine maintenance of community access roads, purchase of local revenue collection monitoring vehicles, and the planned purchase of land for a seed secondary school, the Division councilors have also not been receiving their ex-gratia and gratuity allowances for the last two financial years.
In his communication, Yiga indicated that they have repeatedly pleaded with City Council leadership to give the division its full entitlements but in vain, and the City Clerk has instead been tossing them.
The enraged councilors unanimously took a decision, tasking Samuel Ahabwe the Nyendo-Mukungwe division Town Clerk to formally forward their plights to the City Council authorities giving them a one-week ultimatum to address them before prompting them into demonstrations.
Juliet Nabukenya, a female Councilor representing Nyendo ward says in their recent meeting with the Minister of Local Government during his tour in the area, he indicated that their allowances had been fully released, wondering why the money was not subsequently remitted to the recipients.
According to her, each of the 41 councilors has outstanding allowances earlier of Shillings 2.8 million, spanning from the last five quarters, which affects their morale to perform their duties.
Michael Mulindwa Nnakumusana, the Nyondo-Mukungwe Division Chairperson told the council that he has constantly pleaded with his counterparts at the City to release the funds, but they have instead remained indifferent.
He accuses the City political leadership of deliberately withholding divisions’ budgetary releases, as a tool to suppress them.
Vincent Okrutu, the Masaka City Council Clerk when contacted about the matter denied allegations of deliberately withholding the funds, blaming the inconsistencies on the delayed release of funds from the central government’s treasury.
He however says that they are aware of the outstanding demands of the divisions, indicating that the City Treasury will fully release all the finances before the end of this financial year.
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