Written By | Joshua Nahamya
Speaker adjourns council on Thursday
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Mbarara City – A scheduled Mbarara City Council meeting on Thursday ended in shock and disarray this morning after the Speaker, Bonny Tashobya Karutsya, prematurely adjourned the session, citing gross irregularities and the suspected loss of millions in local revenue.
The council business had barely begun when Tashobya interrupted proceedings, pointing to a suspicious dip in street parking collections. He revealed that weekly remittances from the contractor, Yoya Technologies Services Ltd, had mysteriously dropped from Shs 8.2 million to Shs 5.85 million. “They had told us that the system they brought will be rewarding the city council 60% of the street parking collections and the tenderer will remain with 40%. Now we are asking who fixed this price that says the contractor pays Shs 5.85 million instead of Shs 8.20 million? If it is percentage sharing, then who went ahead to fix the total collections?” Tashobya questioned.
Connivance
The Speaker alleged a deep-seated conflict of interest and connivance, suggesting that the street parking contractor is the same entity managing the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS) used to track all city taxes. “In this case, who is the contractor of street parking? It is alleged that the person who brought for us the IRAS system is the same person owning Yoya Technologies Ltd, meaning that he is the employer, manager, and supervisor of the system at the same time,” Tashobya noted. He added that this arrangement has made it impossible for city divisions to monitor collections because the contractor's gadgets are not integrated into the official system.
Expressing his frustration with the technical team, the Speaker lamented that the council had been promised an increase in revenue to Shs 20 million weekly through this new technology, only to see figures plummet. “What kind of corruption is this? As a speaker who is chairing this council, we cannot withstand this Town Clerk. I therefore suspend this council; I cannot go on with this quagmire. The council is adjourned to next Thursday,” Tashobya ordered.
Speaker Bonny Tashobya reviewing some of the defaulters
Beyond street parking, the Speaker highlighted suspected leakages in trading licenses and market fees at Katete, Nyamityobora, and Rwebikona. He emphasized that the city’s growth depends on this money for essential services. “We want a clear tender position on performance because we want schools, hospitals, water, and infrastructure development, but we cannot do work on them when the council is losing local revenue to contractors who are defaulting,” he stated.
In a sharp rebuttal, the City Town Clerk, Justine Barekye, dismissed the allegations as mere political posturing. She claimed the move was an attempt by the Speaker and other politicians to secure their positions following the recent elections. “Elections ended but politics cannot end; they continue to follow us. The speaker just wants to show that he is working in order to retain his speakership position,” Barekye noted. She expressed annoyance with the council, stating, “These are the same people crucifying me, turning to me that money is needed, yet they refused me from going to the field to collect revenue because of the ongoing elections.”
Speaker adjourns council on Thursday
The Deputy Resident City Commissioner (RCC) for Mbarara City South, Gerald Tukamuhebwa, declined to comment on the specifics of the walkout, citing a lack of formal paperwork. “Much as I am a government monitor, I cannot react on this matter when I have not read through the paperwork. I need to first understand what the matter is all about,” the Deputy RCC noted.
The Town Clerk has promised to harmonize the discrepancies before the council reconvenes next Thursday, where the contractor is expected to appear and explain the system's performance.
“I request you to stay calm, come next week we shall have harmonized before the council meeting” Barekye noted
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