Mityana municipality councilors shun meeting over detention of NUP supporters

MITYANA, UGANDA: The Mityana municipality council meeting on Thursday flopped after councilors protested the continued imprisonment of National Unity Platform-NUP supporters. The angry councilors, the majority from NUP note that a number of people were arrested and imprisoned during the 2021 campaigns and election period on false accusations.

The councilors held placards and marched out of the council hall while shouting and demanding the release of political prisoners among them, Kawempe North Member of Parliament Muhammad Ssegirinya and Makindye West MP, Allan Sewanyana.

They said that it is useless to continue to debate while their colleagues are rotting in jail. They also vowed not to attend any other council meeting until their electorates are released unconditionally.

Barbara Numulema representing Mityana Northward says that many of their supporters were arrested on trumped-up charges.

Speaker Daniel Kamulegeya said that he could not proceed to conduct council meetings without the required number of councilors. He however promised arrangements will be made to have another council sitting.

According to Kamulegeya, the order paper had important issues which required the council’s approval to enable citizens to get service delivery. He said that it is the council’s mandate to approve the work plans and budgets for the technical team to implement.

Kamulegeya explained efforts to calm down the rowdy councilors were futile which forced him to adjourn the council until further notice.

Mityana Municipality Mayor, Mukambwe Faustin Lukonge said the protest was a sign of dissatisfaction towards the government and security personnel who have failed to deliver justice to the people.

The protests by councilors of Mityana municipality follow their counterparts in Kawempe Division, Kampala District where the council meetings have since flopped due to demands for the release of political prisoners.