The Kawempe Division Senior Principal Assistant Town Clerk, Mr Nooh Bukenya, has been suspended over alleged misconduct, leading to loss of public funds amounting to Shs700 million.

Kampala Town Clerk Ruth Kijjambu said the suspension is aimed at creating a neutral ground for investigations. "I was left with no option other than suspending him [Mr Bukenya] so that investigations can be conducted freely," Ms Kijjambu told Daily Monitor on Saturday. Ms Kijjambu's action follows Parliament's intervention that called for immediate investigations into the alleged fraud.

According to an August 2009 special audit on the accounts of Kawempe Division by the Auditor General, Mr Bukenya caused a financial loss due to "gross negligence and fraud."

Bad deal

According to the report, in April 2007, a company, M/S Crown Contractors was contracted to collect trading licences and permits in Kawempe but failed to comply with the contract stipulations.

The company failed to remit the agreed upon initial deposit of Shs150 million and the weekly Shs30 million contrary to the contract conditions. The company also never signed any legal document with the city advocate as required by the law. All this was blamed on Mr Bukenya's laxity. "The firm operated illegally without any binding contract causing a loss of about Shs700 millions," the report reads in part.

Earlier, Ms Kijjambu said Mr Bukenya was advised against contracting the company but he ignored the advice from his superior. Bukenya's suspension has, however, split the division with a section of councillors protesting his replacement with former Central Division clerk, Mr Godfrey Kiseka. Councillors protest the appointment of Mr Kiseka over allegations that he caused a huge financial loss to Makindye and Central divisions where he has served before.