To Sharifah, the position you are in is loved and loathed in equal measure. It's not easy to either congratulate or feel sorry for you - Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago
Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has described the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) as a "dysfunctional institution," warning newly sworn-in Executive Director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki of the challenges she is likely to face.
"To Sharifah, the position you are in is loved and loathed in equal measure. It's not easy to either congratulate or feel sorry for you," Lukwago said during the swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.
The Lord Mayor is an elective office that became ceremonial with the enactment of the KCCA Act in 2010 that opened the City Hall doors to political leadership.
Mr Lukwago's office has since tended to take on the ceremonial role as the ED became the accounting officer and directly in charge of the political decisions at KCCA.
"There are so many power centres, which bring confusion and overlap. Corporate governance has hindered the city. I welcome you to a dysfunctional institution of the KCCA."
Mr Lukwago also advised Buzeki to take time to understand the workings of the Authority.
"Get to understand the corners of KCCA. Take time off to interrogate why I have stayed here for so long. It's important to understand the dynamics of the city," he remarked.
Ms Buzeki had earlier pledged to transform Kampala, emphasizing collaboration and efficiency. She pledged to focus on unlocking the city's potential and addressing longstanding challenges such as waste management and corruption.
"Kampala has immense untapped potential, and my focus will be on ensuring that every effort contributes to improving the lives of its residents," she said.
Buzeki also noted the importance of adopting new approaches to tackle waste management.
"We must adopt new models and methods to reduce pressure on the landfill while setting up a state-of-the-art facility for waste processing," she explained.
Buzeki becomes the third executive director of KCCA since the enactment of the KCCA Act in 2010, taking over at a time when governance bottlenecks and service delivery challenges remain key hurdles for the institution.
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The two previous executive directors - Jennifer Musisi and Dorothy Kisaka - at KCCA were both women with Andrew Kitaka and Frank Rusa holding interim positions between them.
Hajjat Buzeki and her deputy Benon Moses Kigenyi come into the office on the back of KCCA's garbage crisis that was compounded by the collapse of the Kiteezi landfill in August 2024.
The last months of Ms Kisaka was also punctuated with repeated protests by cleaners over non-payment of their dues as well as poor working conditions.
