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On January 25, 2024, Deputy Mayor Hannifer Mpungu was shown the door by her boss, Salim Uhuru. Why? Allegedly, she wasn’t doing her job right, leading to a loss of faith from her division. But wait, there’s more! She was also charged with fraud. Because why just have one scandal when you can have two?
Uhuru wasted no time and promptly appointed Maureen Kabananura Tumusiime, the woman councillor for Nakasero parish, to take over Mpungu’s job. In true Ugandan fashion, this move sparked an immediate counterattack from Mpungu, who ran to the High Court crying foul and demanding a judicial review of her unceremonious booting.
Fast forward to May 17, 2024, and High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana stepped in with a classic plot twist. He issued an injunction to keep Mpungu in office while her case gets sorted out. Judge Ssekaana, in his infinite wisdom, ruled that Mpungu might suffer “irreparable damages” if Uhuru’s decision wasn’t put on hold. We can only imagine the sleepless nights that might ensue from not being Deputy Mayor.
So, with a wave of his judicial wand, Judge Ssekaana ordered that Uhuru’s January 25 letter removing Mpungu from office is temporarily null and void. And just to spice things up, he also halted the formation of a tribunal to investigate Mpungu until the main court case is resolved. Because, why settle things the easy way when you can have a lengthy legal battle?
This whole saga started when Kampala Minister Hajjat Minsa Kabanda decided to bring in the big guns. She appointed ex-Deputy Attorney General Fredrick Ruhindi to chair the tribunal, with ex-Deputy Lord Mayor Sarah Kanyike as a member, plus a Buganda Road Chief Magistrate. Quite the star-studded lineup to dig into Mpungu’s alleged misdeeds.
Mpungu, naturally, insists she was wronged. She claims Uhuru showed blatant bias and reckless disregard for proper procedure when he kicked her out. According to her, Uhuru didn’t have the legal authority to remove her without giving her a fair chance to defend herself. It’s all about natural justice, she says, and she wasn’t given any.
She’s asking the court to not only cancel Uhuru’s decision but also to award her damages and cover her legal costs. Because why stop at keeping your job when you can also ask for a financial bonus?
Meanwhile, the respondents, including Uhuru, Tumusiime, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), and the Attorney General, are having none of it. They argue that Uhuru’s decision was rescinded, so Mpungu’s application for an injunction is pointless.
The backstory here is juicy. On February 2, 2024, KCCA executive director Dorothy Kisaka told Uhuru he’d bungled Mpungu’s removal by not following the law. Consequently, Uhuru reinstated Mpungu on February 6. Just two days later, Kabanda asked the Attorney General for legal advice, and he opined that there was indeed a case against Mpungu for misconduct.
By March 12, 2024, Maureen Tumusiime was officially sworn in as the new deputy mayor, setting the stage for a tribunal to investigate Mpungu. However, Mpungu’s lawyers argue that this tribunal is just an illegal attempt to cover up the original mistake.
On the legal front, Uhuru’s lawyers are adamant that since the removal was rescinded, Mpungu’s push for an injunction holds no water.And the cherry on top? Mpungu’s fraud charges. The prosecution claims that between May and June 2022, Mpungu swindled a cool 450 million shillings from Tony Grace Mulinde Lugayuzi by pretending to sell him land that didn’t exist. She’s also accused of scamming a widow out of 38 million shillings. Because, when it rains, it pours.