By Johnson Kanyesige
The former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka, along with two others are expected to appear before the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID)Â for interrogation on Wednesday this week.
Earlier media reports had suggested that they were expected to appear on Monday, but Police Spokesperson, ACP Kituuma Rusoke, clarified that Kisaka will be joined by her former deputy, David Luyimbazi, and former director of health, Daniel Okello, on Wednesday starting at 9 a.m.
CID Director Maj. Tom Magambo is acting on a directive issued by President Yoweri Museveni on September 24 to investigate the trio with the possibility of charging them with criminal negligence. This comes after the tragic collapse of the Kiteezi landfill on August 10, which resulted in 35 fatalities, injuries to others, and the destruction of several houses.
The collapse occurred around 7 a.m., leading to the deaths of 35 people and causing widespread damage. Following an investigation by the Inspectorate of Government, the trio was found culpable, and President Museveni subsequently dismissed Kisaka, Luyimbazi, and Okello three weeks ago, attributing the disaster to their negligence.
Dorothy Kisaka, who succeeded Andrew Kitaka who had served in an acting capacity after Jennifer Musisi’s tenure faced significant criticism during her time as the executive director. During her administration, Kampala residents reportedly endured deteriorating road conditions and issues related to garbage management.
The Kiteezi landfill collapse marked the final blow to Kisaka’s career at KCCA, but many questioned why President Museveni had renewed her three-year contract in the first place. David Luyimbazi, however, has repeatedly asserted that they should not be held responsible, as they were not receiving sufficient funds to address the landfill’s needs.
Luyimbazi has stated that he intends to present documents to CID to demonstrate that charges of criminal negligence would be unjustified, emphasizing that they had consistently requested funding for projects aimed at managing Kiteezi landfill, but these requests were not fulfilled.
On the other hand, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has refuted claims of insufficient funding for the landfill’s management. He insists that the real issue was the misuse of funds. Lukwago cited instances where 4 billion shillings were allocated for hiring graders, yet there was no visible improvement, and no clear accountability was provided for the expenditure.
