By Ruth Anderah.
The Minister in-charge of Kampala Betty Kamya has been summoned by High Court Kampala to appear on April 24th 2018 and be cross-examined on allegations that she is interfering with the executive powers of the Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago.
The summons have been issued and signed by Justice Hennrietta Wolayo upon a request by Lukwago’s lawyer Chrysostom Katumba as the case had come up for hearing.
Justice Wolayo has also ordered both Kamya and Lukwago to first exhaust avenues of settling their differences out of court by the help of a court appointed mediator but failure of which the case goes through a full trial on April 24th 2018.
Lukwago took Kamya to court accusing her of illegally passing-off as the political head of the city whereas she was not the one elected by people’s mandate .
Lukwago claims his mandate to serve as the duly elected mayor of the city has been usurped by Kamya who even took a decision on January 23rd 2018 to suspend council meetings where deliberations and decisions on how to govern the city are made.
According to court documents, Kamya stalled the council meetings on grounds that they are illegal and no longer relevant to the city, a decision that Lukwago describes as irrational and unreasonable.
In his petition, Lukwago seeks orders to quash Kamya’s decision regarding the legality of Council meetings and other decisions such as subjecting all his out of the country travels as the Lord Mayor to a “ministerial permit”.
Lukwago claims such decisions are an infringement and abuse of his rights and freedoms.