By Tolit Ivan
Alfred Okwonga, the Gulu City Mayor, has been suspended from attending two consecutive council meetings, accused of defamation.
The council, presided over Joyce Alima, the Speaker Gulu City Council, accused Okwonga of soiling their names on both mainstream media and social media accusing the city councilors of receiving money in exchange for passing a resolution granting permission to an investor to construct a fuel station on Pece Stream wetland in Bardege-Layibi Division, Gulu City.
According to Alima, the mayor’s statement has negatively affected their reputation since none of the councilors received money from the investor.
The council had demanded that Okwango should apologized over the alleged remarks of which he bluntly refused.
Speaker Alima who seemed visibly angered consequently suspended Okwonga from council before he was walked out of the council hall by the sergeant at arm. The speaker also announced some of the mayor’s privileges amongst them using his official car and getting fuel had been suspended for six months and directed the Town clerk to ensure the car is parked.
According to Alima, the Mayor will miss out two council meetings but will only return to the council after offering a written apology over his remarks. She notes that missing out council meeting consecutively for four times has consequences as one would cease to be a member of the city council.
Okwonga however noted that he is yet to receive a formal letter on the grounds of his suspension but vowed that he won’t bow down from fighting against environmental injustice.
Innocent Ahimbisibwe, the Gulu City Town Council, said he can’t rush to implement the council resolutions before internalizing the law pertaining the suspension of a city Mayor.
This comes nearly a month after a section of councillors passed a resolution compelling Gulu City Council to allow the investor, Lawrence Okello, who owns Oil Energy Uganda Ltd, to resumed constructing the fuel station on Plot 3.
Gulu City Mayor Alfred Okwonga, however, blamed the city council speaker, Renny Joy Alima and other council members for passing the resolution in contrast with an earlier position of the city council blocking the fuel station development.
He later demanded an apology from the city council speaker, Gulu City Deputy Mayor Christine Olok, Philian Nyama, the clerk to the council, among others for what he describes as a betrayal of trust to the Gulu City Council and the community of Gulu City.
Following the resumption of the fuel station construction on the Wetland, the State House Anticorruption Unit in collaboration with NEMA and the police arrested Lawrence Okello, over illegal construction on a gazetted wetland.
Okello was charged before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court with constructing a fuel station in a wetland in violation of environmental and planning laws and consequently remanded to Luzira Prison until December 16.