By Our Reporter
MASINDI: Masindi district council turned rowdy on Thursday as councillors nearly flexed muscles over the omission of the item on Bunyoro university land on the order paper.
Scuffle ensued after a section of councillors questioned the absence of the item to approve the land for the construction of Bunyoro University campus for the greater Masindi on the order paper.
The female councillor representing Bwijanga and Bikonzi sub counties and Bulima town council, Pamela Nyakato contended that there was no way such a matter of public interest and much urgency could miss on the order paper.
But the speaker Moses Kiirya who chaired the council said the issue of Bunyoro University was not urgent to be discussed in the council.
‘’The issue of Bunyoro University cannot be discussed in the council now because it’s not urgent,’’ Kiirya said.
Kiiza Johnson, the district councillor representing Bikonzi Sub County however insisted that the council should discuss the matter saying it is urgent and of public interest. Kiiza cited items like the CAO’s transfer and the service commission which were on the order paper and yet they were not urgent.
‘’If the issue of Bunyoro university is not on the order paper, the council will not continue,’’ he said and was joined by the other councillors, sparking off a scuffle that paralysed the council for several minutes after some councillors even attempted to beat the speaker.
The scuffle prompted police led by Kandiho Livingstone, the Officer In charge of Masindi Station to storm the council chambers to calm the situation, forcing speaker Kiirya to adjourn the council meeting for about 30 minutes.
Kandiho urged the councillors to amicably and peacefully resolve their issues instead of causing commotion.
Simon Byaruhanga, the Chairperson NRM caucus in the council told UGReports said that they had agreed in the caucus to include the motion on approving Kihonda agricultural demonstration farm land in Labbongo Sub County as the site for the construction of the Bunyoro university campus for the Greater-Masindi.
He said this came after realising that the Kayanja Land in Nyangahya division that had been earlier approved by the council for the same has issues of ownership.
‘’We agreed in the NRM caucus that Bunyoro University be established at Kihonda land since its title is in the names of the district yet the Kayanja land that we had approved is privately owned,’’ he said.
According to Byaruhanga, the matter was to be discussed in the business committee before being put on the order paper for approval by the council.
‘’In case we fail to identify the land for the establishment of Bunyoro university, other districts like Buliisa and Kiryandongo will benefit. We have leaders who are just failing government programs, we have been yearning for the university and we are now failing it,’’ he stressed.
Babyesiza Wahid, the district council representing Labbongo Sub County said that they are ready to have the university on any land provided it is in Masindi district.
Later the council resumed but without the item on approving the university land on the order paper.
Masindi district chairperson and some councilors prefer Kihonda land for the university while Moses Kiirya, who represents Karujubu division at the district council, the Mayor Masindi Municipality Ronald Businge Kyomuhendo and the MP for Masindi municipality Joab Businge want the university campus constructed on Kayanja land.
It is reported that they influenced the councilors to approve the Kayanja land for the university which is privately owned.
