Saturday, July 23, 2011

THE MAYOR'S OFFICIAL RESIDENCE IS ONE OF THE INSTRUMENTS OF AUTHORITY OF HIS OFFICE

Time is ripe for Ugandans who have been in school not to take us back to the time when the country was led by illiterates. It disturbs to keep hearing from the likes of Sebagala telling us that 'his' council resolved to give the Mayor's House to the Security operatives, that the house was in a bad shape and the council did not have money to renovate it. Such reasoning is silly.
The Monitor news paper of June 19, 2008 quoted Kampala Mayor Nasser Ntege Sebaggala saying," he was willing to offer his official multi-billion Kololo residence to the coordinator of the intelligence services, Gen. David Tinyefuza. During an interview with Daily Monitor, Hajji Sebaggala said KCC could not frustrate a government security programme that would benefit all city dwellers."
We should have people in office who are worth not a shame. The Mayor is apolitical head of Kampala City. How on earth do you tell people who went to school that council did not have money hence decided to let the security operatives have it! The Mayor is a city like Kampala must have his residence in place and well catered for. Those who made the arrangement to have an official residence of the Mayor knew what they were doing. The security people can find another place after-all there are so many rent-able premises in the city.
William Kituuka Kiwanuka

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Jennifer Musisi has vowed to evict intelligence services coordinator Gen David Tinyefuza from the mult-billion house belonging to the authority in Kampala.
authority in Kampala.
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Jennifer Musisi has vowed to evict intelligence services coordinator Gen David Tinyefuza from the mult-billion house belonging to the authority in Kampala.
The house was controversially given to Gen Tinyefuza in March 2008 after a directive from the then Local Government Minister Kahinda Otafiire, who sighted ‘security reasons’ as the cause for the take over.
But while appearing on KfM’s Hot Seat programme at the weekend, Ms Musisi said the house is a property of KCCA and she would have it handed back.
Ms Musisi could not be reached for comment yesterday but a senior KCCA official who did not want to be quoted because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the authority was in the final stages of “serving the general with a vacation notice”.
“We shall tell him to vacate the house because it is council property. All property belonging to the authority well be re-posessed,” the official said.
Before it was taken over by the intelligence chief, the house used to be occupied by the council health chief inspector.
The two storey building located at Plot 2, Mabua Road, in Kololo, serves as office premises and a command centre from where the UPDF General coordinates his intelligence work.
Gen Tinyefuza could not be reached for a comment by press time. When she was appointed the KCCA boss, Ms Musisi vowed to right the wrongs that have been going on in the management of Kampala city and promised never to have double standards in her efforts to put the city back on track. But Ms Musisi’s move will not be the first time that the city council tries to evict the UPDF strongman.
In 2009, Kampala City Council resolved that Gen Tinyefuza, was illegally occupying the house and then town clerk Ruth Kijjambu, told councillors that the security boss occupied the premises before council’s approval. She had promised to petition the current Local Government Minister, Mr Adolf Mwesige, over the issue. But two years down the road, the General is still occupying the premises.
If Ms Musisi’s plan succeeds, Gen Tinyefuza will become the second most influential person in government to be evicted from the KCCA’s property after former Kampala mayor Nasser Ntege Sebaggala.
Mr Sebaggala was forcefully evicted from a palatial Kololo house and had his property thrown out in the rain by KCCA’s bailiffs after ignoring numerous requests from the Lord Mayor, Elias Lukwago, and Ms Musisi to vacate the house, which he had dubiously acquired during his tenure as the city mayor.
Ms Sebaggala claimed that he obtained the house through a council resolution and he even had the President’s blessings. But efforts to get a comment from Gen Tinyefuza on whether the security reasons that necessitated the house takeover still exist, and how he is going to respond to KCCA, were futile as his phone went unanswered.
However, the house, which by the time of Tinyefuza’s takeover was valued at Shs5b, currently appears run down with its paint peeling off. There are unverified claims that the place is used as a heavy duty interrogation centre.
By Isaac Imaka, Daily Monitor


SEBAGALA DEFENDS TINYEFUNZA'S STAY IN KCCA HOUSE
Ultimate Media
The former mayor of Kampala, Alhajji Nasser Ntege Ssebagala has defended the occupation of General David Tinyefuza in one of the properties of Kampala Capital City Authority house.
The coordinator of intelligence services General David Tinyefuza has been in the news over his occupation of the house, located on Plot2, Mabua road in Kololo. He has threatened to arrest anyone trying to evict him
Ssebagala says Tinyefuza was given the house by KCC for coordination of security activities.
Former mayor Ssebagala says KCC passed a resolution to give him the house in 2008 following a request by then local government minister General Kahinda Otafire.
Ssebagala says the house was unoccupied at the time and in a very poor condition, close to being inhabitable.
He says KCC decided to pass on the house because it needed costly repairs at the time.
The KCC Speaker at the time Shifra Lukwago also confirms the council resolution giving up the house.
The KCCA Executive Director Jeniffer Musisi however says the administration has the right to overturn any contracts wrongfully signed in the past.
She says it does not matter whether or not contracts exist, adding that they can be cancelled if it's established that they are not in the best interest of the authority.

TINYEFUZA MUST GO, SAYS JENNIFER MUSISI
Saturday, 23rd July, 2011
By Taddeo Bwambale

EXECUTIVE Director Jennifer Musisi insists that Gen. David Tinyefuza, the coordinator of intelligence services, must leave the house belonging to the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
She has also warned the General against threatening her, saying she was executing her duties as a government official.
In a letter, Musisi urged Tinyefuza to stop “issuing personal threats to the Accounting Officer of a government entity.”
Musisi also challenged Tinyefuza to produce documents proving that he or the Government was occupying the house legally.
“I would therefore reiterate our request that any official communication from KCC regarding Government/Uganda People’s Defence Forces occupation of the property be availed to us to enable us to account for the property,” the letter reads.
Later in the afternoon, while speaking to journalists in Kampala, Musisi vowed to continue executing her duties even if it meant stepping on some people’s toes.
“That property belongs to the Government and the people of Uganda. As the accounting officer, it is my role to account for all property belonging to KCCA,” she said.
“KCCA is in the process of recovering a lot of other properties and it is my role to find out the legal position of that house,” Musisi added.
On July 19, Musisi wrote to Tinyefuza and asked him to vacate the two-storeyed house by August 2 or be evicted. She also asked him to provide a formal instrument mandating his occupation of the property and to explain within two days how he or the army occupied the house.
She said the property was registered in the name of the predecessor of KCCA and that the interest in the house had been transferred to KCCA.
However, Tinyefuza wrote back, describing Musisi’s letter as “offensive and irresponsible”. He said the house was being used to coordinate intelligence and security.
He also argued that he was neither residing in the house nor using it for personal business.
“You are free to come and evict whoever you want. I wish you luck,” Tinyefuza wrote.
Appearing on a radio talkshow, Tinyefuza threatened to arrest Musisi if she dared evict him.
However, Musisi dismissed Tinyefuza’s threats of arrest and described his letter as unfortunate. “But we think the matter will be resolved soon,” she said.
She explained that she had faced a lot of resistance in her work to streamline operations in the city since she took office, but vowed not to relent.
“This city has had many problems. There are many wrong buttons, but we’ll just keep pressing them. If you are afraid of stepping on people’s toes, nothing will be done,” she said.
She had just inspected the multi-million Naguru General Hospital, which is under construction.
The mansion under contention is located at Plot 2, Mabua Road in Kololo, an upscale Kampala suburb. It was previously the official residence of the city mayor. It is now tightly-guarded and serves as Tinyefuza’s office and intelligence coordination centre.
The building was registered in the names of Kampala Municipal Council in 1959, for a term of 99 years, begining January 1949, Musisi said. She said KCCA had no record of any allocation or sale of the house to the army or Tinyefuza.
In the letter, Musisi also pointed out an irregular attempt to sell the house to a private company, Pearline Investments between July 2010 and April 2011.
Kampala City Council gave the house to Tinyefuza in March 2008, on the orders of then local government minister Kahinda Otafire. Former mayor Nasser Sebagala handed over the house to Tinyefuza amid protests from councillors.
Musisi dismissed reports that the house had been sold to a city tycoon and said the Authority had the land title. “As I know, there are neither encumbrances nor transfers on it.”

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