By Elijah Khisa
Tension rocked the Kawempe Division Urban Council after councillors demanded that the town clerk find resources to fund proposed benchmarking trips to Lira and Mbarara cities to enable them learn how the two authorities manage their council affairs.
The development came to light on Monday, October 5, 2026, during the division’s first ordinary council session held at the division headquarters.
The debate was initiated by Sarah Sanyu Kyebando, the Kawempe Division Woman Councillor and a member of the Finance and Audit Committee, together with Joseph Kibuga, the deputy mayor and executive secretary for Finance and Audit.
They argued that it was in the interest of the council for councillors to undertake benchmarking visits because such trips would equip them with knowledge and skills on how other city authorities conduct their business.
They further said the trips would empower councillors with strategic tax mobilisation and revenue-generation skills that could be applied in their respective parishes.
However, the town clerk, Geoffrey Rwakabare, told the councillors that his office lacked the necessary resources to fund the proposed trips.
His remarks angered some councillors, who challenged him to find ways of securing the money.
The council speaker, Eng. Daniel Kigozi Mayombwe, intervened and tasked Rwakabare with engaging the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) at City Hall to explore possibilities of securing funding for the trips.
Mayombwe said the benchmarking visits were necessary because they would empower councillors and strengthen their capacity to mobilise residents to pay taxes.
Following the lobbying by councillors, Rwakabare pledged to forward the matter to City Hall for consideration.
Council calls for dialogue
The speaker also led the council in unanimously resolving to promote dialogue whenever political disagreements arise for the good of the new council.
Mayombwe said the new council, whose majority members are currently embroiled in political tensions arising from ongoing election petition proceedings in court, cannot achieve meaningful participation in council affairs without dialogue and effective conflict-resolution mechanisms.
The councillors began the day’s deliberations with presentations of committee reports, with respective committee chairpersons presenting their findings. The reports were subsequently approved by the council.
Among the outstanding issues raised for political and government intervention were garbage collection, sanitation, education, health, the environment, security and finance.
The councillors appealed for increased funding to address the challenges.
Garbage collection crisis
One of the most contentious issues was the reported failure by the division town clerk to provide adequate trucks for garbage collection and disposal.
Rwakabare explained that the division has only five garbage trucks and a budget of Sh38 million, which he said was insufficient to cover all the 105 villages in the division.
“My response to the complaints about failure to collect garbage from parishes is not a deliberate matter or strategy by design, but a technical issue where we have a shortage of garbage trucks required to clear the backlog,” Rwakabare said.
“We have only five trucks to do this job following a rotational schedule covering the entire division, yet our total budget for this task is only Sh38 million, which is very limited,” he added.
He explained that low-income residents who cannot afford to pay for private garbage collection have to keep their waste until a free KCCA truck arrives in their respective parishes.
Rwakabare said the division had separately contracted U-Waste Company to provide garbage collection services in Kawempe North and Hilltop for Kawempe South.
Under the arrangement, individual households in informal settlements pay Sh1,000 for a 50kg bag of garbage, while institutions such as schools, places of worship and markets pay Sh40,000 per month.
He appealed to the Government to provide additional garbage trucks to help the division clear the backlog.
The speaker supported the call, urging urban ward administrators to work closely with local council leaders to sensitise residents about proper garbage disposal practices.
Roads, drainage and youth concerns
The chairperson of the Committee on Human Resource, Administration and Works, Jjingo Enock of Makerere III Parish, highlighted several challenges identified by the committee, including the need to improve the road network and drainage systems, among other critical social services.
He said addressing the challenges would help promote economic growth and improve the welfare of residents.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Public Health and Environment Committee, Rose Kaitesi, the Mulago III Parish Woman Councillor, expressed concern over the increasing number of idle young people involved in drug addiction and alcoholism, as well as other activities suspected to be linked to crime.
Kaitesi said parents have a primary responsibility to ensure proper upbringing and guidance of their children.
