Ayivu Division Councilors during one of the recently held council sittings at Arua Core PTC.
By Godwin Abedican
Arua City
Ayivu Division West councilors in Arua city have placed their area member of parliament on the spot for failing to cooperate with them through attendance of council sittings.
Issues at LC1 level are often taken to the LC2 level and if no solution is got, proceeds to the councilors at the division level and where it’s impossible to handle, it’s taken to the city council level where it’s expected that the area member of parliament and woman member of parliament are to be art of the sessions to take the man’s issues to the parliament where necessary.
But according to Hon. Eyotaru Francesca, the councilor for Etori ward, their area member Of parliament seems to have been working in isolation for the four years so far as an MP.
“Our MPs have been doing well but the current MP we have the problem with him is that he doesn’t work with us the lower local council members and he doesn’t attend our council meetings. I don’t know what he is actually taking now to the parliament on behalf of the people of Ayivu West. So, because of that it also becomes hard for us to work with him. So, we don’t also work with him,” she said.
Similarly, Hon. Matua Yokonia Opi who represents Orugbo ward says it has bene hard to work with the area MP since he is always a no show at council sittings.
“One area where I am judging him wrong is where he doesn’t attend our division council meetings. Since he was elected, he has never attended our council meetings which is very very wrong and that is where he should have picked some concerns of Ayivu west in the Ayivu division council,” Matua emphasized in an interview.
Part two section 12 of the standard rules of procedure for local government councils on council sittings indicates in close 14 (1) that, notice of meeting indicating the time and place of every meeting shall be dispatched to those invited at least seven working days before the meeting.
But, according to according to Hon. Lematia John, the times for his invitations for council sittings has been making it hard for him to be part.
“It is not that I have been dodging council sittings. Unfortunately, they have been inviting me just a day to the council sitting. They have not been giving me that humble time. Secondly, our offices are in Kampala, we do a lot of activities in Kampala, but whenever the council is sitting, it always gets us that side of Kampala. I don’t have disagreements with the council,” Hon. Lematia responded in a phone interview when asked about the concern raised.
However, Hon. Adriko Collins, the Deputy Speaker Ayivu Division Council disputes the reasons the Member of Parliament gives for not attending council sittings.
“We always submit his letter seven days earlier. In Ayivu division council we have never given out invitation late because we have the law. We have a communication gap whereby some Members of Parliament don’t attend the Division council sessions, even including the city council sessions. Much as they are invited” he said.
The speaker further ads that this has created a problem in service delivery to the subjects at grassroots level.
“They are supposed to be part and parcel of the division council. Their absence affects service delivery because there is already a communication gap. What is on ground is not taken to the parliament and what is from parliament is not brought to the local people. For the area member of parliament for Ayivu West, honestly it is clocking 5 years he has nit attended not even once the council of Ayivu division much as we have been inviting him for the council sessions. So, I don’t know what he takes to the parliament concerning the people of Ayivu division or Ayivu West,” Hon. Adriko.
Council sittings are held once in every two months with Committee sittings held one month ahead and business committee sittings to prepare order papers held seven days before the council date where invitations are drafted for distribution to all those who are supposed to attend council sittings.
Source: Radio Pacis Website.
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