Makumbi, together with some other NUP councilors went ahead to kneel down on the ground as they appreciated President Museveni’s NRM government for wholeheartedly giving Mukono municipality a World Bank project of sh154bn without minding about the municipality’s current leadership’s political affiliations.
Mukono Municipality National Unity Platform (NUP) leaders have defied the district party boss, Betty Nambooze Bakireke and heaped praises on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government for bringing development projects in the area which they said has facilitated improvement of people’s standards of living.
Mukono Municipality Deputy Mayor William Makumbi, the Central Division Vice Chairperson Ssali Zaidi Kabugo and Ntaawo ward councillor at Mukono Central Division, John Ronald Ssebunya, all subscribing to NUP, variously expressed their appreciation to government for the all-round development in the municipality.
They were on Thursday addressing a gathering where Minister Kabuye Kyofatogabye was presiding over the launch of the construction work of the sh134bn road construction implemented on a loan procured from the World Bank and the French government Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), at Ntaawo community ground in Mukono central division.
Deputy Mayor Makumbi who began by announcing his party of affiliation, the NUP, thanked President Museveni for having lobbied for the loan, and Minister Kyofatogabye for considering Mukono as the flagship municipality for the project, and advised residents and leaders to ignore what he termed as baseless rumours, that the money for the project has been stolen.
Makumbi, together with some other NUP councilors went ahead to kneel down on the ground as they appreciated President Museveni’s NRM government for wholeheartedly giving Mukono municipality a World Bank project of sh154bn without minding about the municipality’s current leadership’s political affiliations.
Elaborating, Makumbi said, “Ignore the nonsense on social media that money for the project has been stolen; how can the money be stolen even before the work begins? How come it is being flagged off now? These are detractors who want to taint our minds”, he said.
He advised the minister to reprimand the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and UMEME authorities who are blamed for dragging their feet in enabling the contractors to proceed with their work.
When the central division Vice Chairman Zaidi Ssali took the rostrum, he appreciated Minister Kyofatogabye for continually standing with Mukono Municipality in development programmes including the road and markets. Ssali also thanked local councillors for mobilising communities to give contractors the right of way ahead of the road construction work.
He called on local leaders to oversee maintenance of the road through ‘bulungibwansi’ arrangement instead of waiting for road gangs from the town clerk, and urged communities not to dump garbage on the road to avoid destroying it.
He echoed the deputy mayor and castigated irresponsible social media users who he said are anti-developmental agents who should be ignored. “Let us ignore them and in the end they will get tired and give up,” Ssali suggested.
Ntaawo ward councilllor, who also doubles as the cell chairperson, John Ronald Ssebunnya called the road construction project as a timely venture that people have been waiting for for a long time, adding, “even we NUP members want development and when it comes to us, politics should be put aside and we embrace it,” he said.
Ssebunya thanked the offices of the Town Clerk, the RDC and the district leadership for always being on the ground and working hand-in-hand with all cadres of leaders in mobilising communities to embrace and own the roads.
Mukono Resident District (RDC) Commissioner, Hajat Fatuma Ndisaba Nabitaka thanked the Municipality councilors led by their speaker, Dorah Nakaddu Nsubuga for standing the intimidation from some leaders who have for over the time blocked Mukono municipality’s development projects just for political capital.
Ndisaba said that at one time, Nakaddu was called by one of the NUP legislators in Mukono and intimidated her as she asked her not to convene the council session to approve these projects under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
“We are all here smiling just because Nakaddu stood her ground and convened the council and the projects were embraced. We need to get rid of such selfish leaders in Mukono, without them, we would be far better than the Lugazi Municipality which people have started comparing with Mukono saying it is now far better than us in terms of developments,” she said.