Mubarak Munyagwa, the Mayor Kawempe Division is in trouble for alleged extortion of money from members of the public. Five councilors from the division have threatened to move a vote of no confidence in Munyagwa. They are Bob Mpiima, Hamida Nambajjwe, Scot Kiwanuka, Tadeo Ssebugwawo and Hamuza Farouk Kazungu.
They accuse Munyagwa of using some of his supporters to solicit money from members of the public in exchange for nonexistent school bursaries and examination of food vendors. It all started on Thursday last week after police arrested three people for extortion. The suspects are Shakira Namata, Joseph Ssemwanga and Bbale Kakeeto.
Namata was arrested at the factory of Reham Biscuits while collecting money to carry out medical examination on the workers. Bob Mpiima, chairperson of the councilor’s Forum alleges that Munyagwa commissioned a team of his supporters and deployed them as division scouts without approval from council.
He claims that members of the team charge residents between shillings 30,000 and 50,000 promising to help them secure bursaries for their children.
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Tadeo Ssebugwawo, the councilor representing Kazo Angola says that the division health committee has never discussed anything to do with examining the health of food vendors and their workers. He says that those collecting the money are doing it illegally.
Hamuza Farouk Kazungu, the councilor Muluka 11 parish, Makerere University says that he has already started collecting signatures from fellow councilors to a censure motion against Munyagwa.
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Ritah Namatovu Achiles, the human resource manager Reham Biscuits whose workers have been victims of extortion says that they became suspicious when Namata started collecting blood samples instead of urine samples from their workers as the case has been for many years.
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Achiles says that their workers have been undergoing medical examination after every six months with KCCA but they were shocked that the new team lacked enough equipment to the extent of sharing syringes. Munyagwa has not yet commented on the allegations as he could not be reached by URN but his personal Secretary Asadullah Ssemindi says that the councilors are redundant.
Ssemindi however says that Munyagwa has a team of scouts who are collecting information from members of the public about the behavior of technical workers. He says the team has already finalized its report that will soon be tabled before the council for discussion. This is not the first time Munyagwa is being threatened with censure. In October, voters in Kawempe led by Muzamir Katumba threatened to move a vote of no confidence in Munyagwa for abandoning his duties.
