The Democratic Party (DP) spokesperson, Ismail Kirya, has asked the CID’s office to investigate and summon the Minister of Kampala, Minsa Kabanda, and her assistant, Kabuye Kyofatogabye, and also have them apprehended for negligence in the Kiteezi landfill collapse saga.
Kirya made these remarks on October 22, 2024, while addressing members of the press at their DP offices on Balintuma Road in Rubaga division, where he asked the CID to quickly make summons for the two ministers since they are the supervisors of the KCCA technical team.
“As the Democratic Party, we are requesting more investigations on the two ministers in KCCA; we wonder how the technicians slept on the job and the supervisors didn’t sleep on the job,” Kirya said.
Kirya’s remarks came after the Kasangati magistrates court on October 18, 2024, sent the former Executive Director of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Dorothy Kisaka, and her deputy David Luyimbazi, plus Director for Public Health Daniel Okello, on remand to Luzira prison till November 4, 2024.
He further defended the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, saying that as a lord mayor, he has no powers to command anything at KCCA.
“The KCCA Act gives more powers to the minister and ED, and the mayor and councilors are not important, and even when he is not in office, work can still go on,” Kirya said.
However, on Monday, the State Minister for Kampala, Christopher Kyofatogabye, blamed the Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, for always fighting with every Kampala minister, adding that he has been a mayor for over 15 years, and all this happened under his watch and should be the one to be in prison.
“Lukwago and his team should not be exonerated in all this; as political heads they had roles of supervising; where are their recommendations that they have? It was only after the disaster that he came out looking as if he had no responsibility,” Kyofatogabye said.
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As blame games continue, the IGG halted activities of the Ghanaian company Jaspong Group, which had been contracted to deal with the Kiteezi landfill, after the KCCA political leadership cited that Jaspong Company was on Kiteezi landfill starting operations without going through proper bidding and procurement processes for their services.
“You are therefore directed to halt all transactions with Jaspong Group of Companies who have been engaged to manage the Kiteezi Landfill until this office completes investigations or issues further orders on the matter,” the letter read.
Kyofatogabye further clarified that the Jaspong group of companies and four other companies were all contacted to go to the Kiteezi landfill and access how best it could be decommissioned and the rubbish cleared before it could collapse again, then come back and give their findings and bid for the takeover.
According to a letter written to KCCA dated October 11, 2024, the Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, Lillian Aber, warned KCCA and asked both the political and technical team to warn residents around the landfill to vacate immediately as there is a likelihood of another landfill collapse, which could be very catastrophic.
