Prime
Minister, MP Nambooze clash over Kampala expansion plan
Kampala- The disagreement between Kampala minister Beti Kamya and Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze over the expansion of Kampala’s physical planning authority to the metropolitan area went a notch higher on Wednesday, with each accusing the other of lack of ‘knowledge about development’.
The plan, which Cabinet has since asked the minister to popularise, has received a lot of criticism from city politicians who argue that government has never engaged stakeholders about it. The proposed metropolitan area comprises Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso and Mpigi districts.
During a televised talk show on NBS TV, Ms Nambooze, who is also the Shadow minister for local government, told the minister that instead of expanding Kampala, government should think of creating satellite cities in the metropolitan and other surrounding regions.
“That plan is not necessary because when you look at it, it is political in nature. Both the message and the messenger are suspicious and that is why I strongly oppose it,” she said.
She also told the minister that the current KCCA Act provides for the Metropolitan Physical Planning Authority, whose board she is mandated to appoint instead of hatching a new ‘political expansion’ plan whose objective is suspicious. However, Ms Kamya hit back and explained that the new plan is not about boundaries but about user facilities and coordination of the metropolitan affairs.
“The concept of metropolitan is not unique for Kampala but for the entire country. Its purpose is to see how the metropolitan area could share services. Although there is a Metropolitan Physical Planning Authority in the KCCA Act, there is no secretariat to it and that is why we want the new plan implemented so that it kicks off,” she said.
Throughout the show, Ms Nambooze kept accusing the minister of ‘selling’ her soul to the current regime yet she was once a leader with great passion for the people.
“Mr Museveni knows it that for him to be relevant, he must have support in the city and that’s what you people are doing,” she told the minister.
She noted that the new plan was informed by a recent World Bank report, which revealed that the economy of Greater Kampala is still unstable because of lack coordinated planning.
The talk show turned ugly when Ms Nambooze called the minister a liar.
The minister had submitted that she has already appointed the Metropolitan Physical Planning Authority Board.
However, the MP dared her to show proof of the team, prompting the minister to lose her temper.
“I will sue you Nambooze for calling me a liar. I have a Cabinet Memo on the same. I will sue you,” she charged.
The legislator dismissed her threats, arguing that her policy statement, which she released last week, did not indicate how a new team was appointed.
