Ofwono Opondo, the government spokesperson and Executive Director of the Uganda Media Center (PHOTO /Courtesy)
KAMPALA, UGANDA – A top official of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has hit back at veteran journalist and government spokesperson, Mr. Ofwono Opondo, over his recent criticism of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) leadership.
Speaking to this website exclusively on the weeked, the official, who preferred not to be named, said that no one in KCCA has a salary big enough to solve the myriad problems facing the city.
“KCCA needs 34 billion annually to transport rubbish to Kiteezi, 40 billion to decommission the Kiteezi landfill, and 70 billion to establish a new site,” the official said. “Without these resources, it is impossible to clean the city effectively.”
The official was responding to Opondo’s recent article, in which he blamed the KCCA leadership for the recent tragedy at the Kiteezi landfill, which claimed several lives.
Opondo had argued that the tragedy was a result of the KCCA leadership’s incompetence, but the NRM official said that this was far from the truth.
“The problems facing KCCA are not a result of incompetence, but rather a lack of resources,” the official said. “No one in KCCA has a salary big enough to solve the city’s problems single-handedly.”
The official also highlighted the lack of autonomy in decision-making, which has hindered KCCA’s leadership from effectively managing the city.
“The KCCA Act has been criticized for limiting the authority’s powers, resulting in a lack of accountability and ineffective service delivery,” the official said.
Experts have also weighed in on the matter, saying that Opondo’s article was motivated by personal interests rather than a genuine desire to address the challenges facing KCCA.
“Opondo’s article was a clear example of blame games, rather than a constructive critique of the challenges facing KCCA,” said an analyst.
The NRM official called for an investigation by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to bring out the core issues affecting KCCA, and for the government to avail funds to solve the city’s challenges rather than engaging in blame games.
The official said that rather than blaming KCCA’s leadership for the challenges facing the city, we should be advocating for increased budgetary support to enable them to effectively address these issues.