Lamwo district councilors sign petition to censure Speaker 

Lamwo district councilors have signed a petition to censure the Speaker James Ochola.

In the petition signed by 20 councilors, Ochola is accused of poor working relations with the District Chairperson and other members of the district executive committee since they assumed office over a year ago.

He is also accused of disregarding the approval of a supplementary budget, upgrading Padibe Health Center IV to a district hospital, and halting discussions on the allowances for councilors.

Matthew Akera Okoya, the vice-chairperson of Lamwo district said that the speaker has failed to work within the law governing his work such as failing to control rift among councilors and inability to make wise judgments on matters brought for debate.

Okoya says the ineffectiveness of the speaker has led to the suspension of many businesses, leading to poor performance of the district.

The final decision to remove the speaker was made last week when he together with his deputy failed to turn up for the approval of the draft budget for the financial year 2022/2023.

Okoya says the Clerk to Council has already delivered the petition to the Minister of Local Government, who is expected to handle the matter.

However, Ochola, says that he was just hearing about the petition and did not know the reasons for his removal. Ochola says that he should have been given a copy of the petition before he responds to the allegations.

According to the Local Government Act, a speaker or the deputy may be removed by a council resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the members of the council on any or all accounts of abuse of office, incompetence, misconduct, or misbehavior.

While the act states that a notice shall be submitted to the Minister [of Local Government] or his or her representative by the clerk to the council and the minister, his or her representative shall evaluate the notice for removal of the speaker and if satisfied that there are sufficient grounds for doing so, shall, within 30 days after receipt pf the notice, convene or cause the convening of a meeting for the removal and election of a speaker.