BUSHENYI DISTRICT SERVICE COMMISSION SAGA: CAO WARNS BASAJJABALABA BEFORE JUDGE

By Wilber Muhwezi and Nelson Twinamatsiko

In Bushenyi–

The arbitration meeting held at Bushenyi Chief Magistrate’s court yesterday to decide whether the district service commission should be instituted or not, turned chaotic when the chief Administrative Officer; Elias Byamungu attacked the district chairman Jaffali Basajjabalaba before Justice Duncan Gaswaga.

The meeting was held after Chief Justice Bart Katureebe ordered Justice Gaswaga to mediate between Jafaali Basajjabalaba and one Appolo Kakonge who sued Bushenyi district authorities in court over failure to institute the district service commission.

During the meeting Byamungu lashed out at Jafaali Basajjabalaba accusing him of failure to sign appointment letters of three district service commission members who were approved by  public service commission last year.

Byamungu said he had several times written to Basajjabalaba asking him to sign appointment letters of the three approved members but he turned a deaf hear.

He warned Jafaali that the court case will impact on him financially as an individual if he continues to be adamant.

The Bushenyi District service commission consists of three members out of five.

The district former chairman Willis Bashasha in his office tenure proposed Lydia Rwakishaya,Julius Ishungisa and Nathan Behangaana to be part of  the district service commission and left only two positions vacant.

However, when Jafaali Basajjabalaba became the district chairman in 2016, he tried to disband the whole commission and proposed a new one with new members but public service commission members rejected his five members who included; Scholastic Ndyagambaki as the chairperson, Joram Tibasiimwa the former  head teacher of Mbarara high school among others.

Jafaali tried to borrow Mbarara district service commission to recruit public servants in Bushenyi, still the public service commission rejected the idea arguing that there was no need to borrow mbarara service commission since three members led by Rwakishaya can form a quorum. They still told Jafari to name the remaining two members to make the commission complete.

Meanwhile Apollo Kakonge from Western Ankole Civil society forum instituted a case in court of law against Jafaali Basajabalaba and the district Chief Administrative officer; Elias Byamungu for failure to set up the district service commission.

On Thursday 15^th June 2017, Kakonge managed to organize a peaceful demonstration at Bushenyi district headquarters showing dissatisfaction with Jafaali Basajjabalaba’s administration.

A parallel meeting was also organized by Jafaali nearBushenyi municipal offices a few meters from the district headquarters with an intention to thwart Kakonge’s demonstration.

Meanwhile Justice Dancan Gaswaga asked Jafali Basajjabaalaba to accept to settle the case out of court or else the court will proceed to hear it.

There is a dialogue in Bushenyi town tomorrow organized by Bushenyi parliamentary group at Tuzza Hotel under the chairmanship of  Rafeal Magyezi the Igara west MP. Justice Gaswaga ordered the two parties to attend the meeting and if a solution doesnot come out then, he will decide the case soon.

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