Katabi Town Council celebrated its tenth anniversary with the commissioning of its own new town council headquarters.
The multi-billion shilling building houses council chambers, administrative offices, a boardroom, and a prayer room, among other facilities and it is within the centre of the town council in Kitala.
Kicking off the celebrations on Wednesday 15th April, the building was blessed by Rev. Fr. Augustine Bukenya, the parish priest of Mpala Parish and officially opened by Matia Lwanga Bwanika, the Wakiso district chairperson under the leadership of Ronald Kalema as the town council chairperson with town clerks, Sauda Namala, Jude Godfrey Muganga, Paddy Kakumba, and Henry Semakula.
Speaking at the event, Bwanika pointed out the need for more funds to local governments, saying, “Local governments get 7% of the national budget which is almost wages and salaries yet they are entitled to deliver a lot of services to the community.
He also appealed to the incoming councilors to ensure that they have unity regardless of their political affiliations and background because it becomes quick and difficult to even realize the smallest development when you keep yourselves in conflicts and fights in council.
“This milestone is a typical indicator that now this is an urban, autonomous, lower local government there is nothing stops Katabi to become a municipality or to be a city of itself in the very near future because development indicators are there once you put an infrastructure, especially an infrastructure of offices, where policy makers sit to determine the destiny of the area, then everything is achieved. So I congratulate members of Katabi town council for this milestone, because it means a lot in terms of development,” Bwanika concluded.
The Katabi town council chairperson, Ronald Kalema said that when he came to power, it was one of his dream and so grateful to God that have fulfilled it.
He also credited the people of Katabii who have been paying revenue, because this building is fully on local revenue that the town council has been collecting from the community.
“At this level, we have put 1.8 billion, and the remaining 500 million could be to finish up the upper part. And I think the incoming chairperson will be able to do so if it is given priority,” Kalema noted.
In addition, he also urged the incoming leadership to utilise people’s resources to create a legacy, saying, “I have had many of them see this building, thinking that there is a lot of money here, but it is just commitment to use the few resources that people give you to put up something that can extend services to them, so however much they came through a process which they all know was not proper, let them create something better.”
David Byarugaba, the director of communication at Namakula Patrons Club lauded Kalema for not just being a political leader, but a thinker, a participant, and a fellow citizen, a leader who listens, a leader who reflects and most importantly a leader who understands that governance is not only about decisions, but also about dialogue.
“When history looks back at leadership, it rarely asks, “How long did one serve?” It asks instead, “What difference did they make?” and here in Katabi, that difference is visible. It is seen in the structures that now stand. It is felt in the systems that function better. But more importantly, it is remembered in the people whose lives were touched,” he noted.
Albert Mugambwa, the Mpala cell chairperson, appreciated this milestone on behalf of the community, saying, “The development restores the town council’s identity and better service delivery closer to the people.”
About The Author
