Bonny Tashobya Karusya Speaker Mbarara city Council
By Aggrey Twesigye
The Mbarara City Council sitting scheduled for Thursday ended abruptly after Speaker Bonny Tashobya Karusya adjourned proceedings to next week, citing poor revenue performance linked to the city’s street parking tender.
Karusya faulted Yoya Technologies Service Limited, the firm contracted to manage street parking in Mbarara, for allegedly defaulting on agreed remittances over the last two years.
Under the contract, the company was required to remit UGX 8 million weekly to the council. However, it has reportedly been remitting only UGX 5 million per week, resulting in a shortfall that has cost the city an estimated UGX 288 million in lost revenue.
The Speaker further noted that despite the city’s move to digitalize revenue collection, the devices used by the contractor are not integrated with the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS), raising accountability and transparency concerns.
Councillors had earlier approved the extension of street parking to additional areas, including Major Victor Bwana Road and Rwebikoona. Karusya questioned why remittances remain below the contractual amount despite the expanded parking zones.
According to the agreement, the council is entitled to 60 percent of weekly collections, while the contractor retains 40 percent. Karusya said it remains unclear who authorized the reduction in weekly remittances from UGX 8 million to UGX 5 million.
Before adjourning the sitting, the Speaker directed City Clerk Justine Barekye to present a comprehensive performance report on all city tenders at the next council meeting. Barekye agreed to submit the report.
