Lukwago dares IGG to release full Kiteezi report

Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has asked the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to make public the findings of the Kiteezi garbage heap disaster, which led to the sacking of top executives of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

President Museveni on September 24 fired KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka, her deputy David Luyimbazi, and Public Health Director Daniel Okello, following the collapse of the Kiteezi landfill.

But Mr Lukwago on September 25 said: “We want details of the Kiteezi report. We demand that the IGG should make public the findings in the investigation. We need to get a copy of the report. At least, they should write to us and share with us copies and not leave us guessing.”

“This is not a report for Mr Museveni, but for the public. If he is the first consumer of the findings, now that he has acted on it, why doesn’t the IGG publish it so that we can dissect it, and understand what constitutes negligence, how it was assessed, and gain clarity,” he added.

The huge garbage dump in Kasangati Town Council, Wakiso District, which absorbs wastes from Kampala City, Mukono and Wakiso municipal and town councils, collapsed on August 10.

The police confirmed at least 35 people were killed, with more than 18 victims rescued and several more feared buried under the sludge. Several livestock were also killed, and properties worth millions of shillings was lost following the collapse of the landfill.

The IGG report on the disaster was released to the President, who then exercised his powers to dismiss the officials.

Against this backdrop, the lord mayor has asked the IGG to share the findings of the report with the KCCA political authority that he heads to prevent them from making assumptions.

The minister for Kampala was tasked with advising the President on interim appointments to these crucial positions to ensure uninterrupted operations of KCCA until the replacements are put in place.

Mr Lukwago also asked the minister to quicken the appointment of the new KCCA leaders as instructed by President Museveni, noting that work at the City Hall has stalled.

“Our hands are tied. Without the executive director and deputy executive director, the office of the ED is vacant, and even the City Executive Committee meetings cannot go on. We were meant to sit today ahead of some council sittings to make preparations, but we are constrained in this regard,” he said.

“The executive director is central to our operations. She is not just an adviser but the key facilitator of the City Executive Committee meetings,” he added.

But Ms Munira Ali, the IGG spokesperson, yesterday said in an interview with this publication that they will only share the copy of the Kiteezi report “once everything is finalised”.

“It’s the President who directed us to conduct the investigation. The report is not a public issue report, which is why even the media do not have access to it,” Ms Munira said. She added: “We might not be able to give the report to KCCA until we have finalised discussions with the President. They will get a copy, but not now,” she clarified.