Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, has defied the order made by the Minister for Kampala, Ms Betty Amongi, to go into self-isolation for two weeks after four staff at City Hall tested positive for Covid-19.
Amongi ordered the Lord Mayor and his assistants, councillors, the executive director, the executive director, Andrew Kitaka, his deputy and all the 11 directors to go into self-quarantine earlier this week.
Lukwago and the councillors have, however, protested the decision and claimed that the minister wants them to go into self-isolation to deflect attention from the uncounted Shs1b that was allocated to her office for the Covid-19 response in the city.
similarly, Lukwago also said he cannot go into self- isolation without a clear plan on how the institution will run in the absence of top officials.
Lukwago demanded the details of the KCCA staff who tested positive for Covid-19.
“According to the minister, I am identified as one of the people who came into contact with one of the suspects, but they are not telling me who that person is and how I came into contact with the person. They should identify the suspects, we know who came into contact with them and then isolate such people, instead of saying the leaders should go into self-isolation,” Lukwago said.
The Lord mayor also argued that going into self-isolation, would put the entire institution in “disarray” since the Executive Director, his deputy and the directors are already at home for isolation.
Speaking about the matter, Amongi was quick to note that Lukwago was playing cheap politics.
“If the Prime Minister can go for self-isolation, who is Lukwago? He is playing politics. It is public knowledge that four people tested positive and the person who served Lukwago and the other people in the executive meeting at City Hall tested positive. The ED and his deputy went for self-isolation because they attended the same meeting with Lukwago,” Amongi said.
The KCCA spokesperson, Peter Kaujju, without divulging too much details, said those who are supposed to be in quarantine have already gone home, except the lord mayor.
“I can confirm to you that all those staff from KCCA who have been asked to go into self-isolation have all gone except the Lord Mayor and his team,” Kaujju said.
There was added tension at the headquarters of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) on Friday, June 5 as four of their staff members developed symptoms of Covid-19.
The four were immediately evacuated from the authority headquarters according to KCCA spokesperson Peter Kaujju.
Sources would later reveal that the four had tested positive for Covid-19.
