The Rukungiri Municipality NRM flag-bearer for Rukungiri mayor, Geoffrey Tindarwesire Kenzigye, has vowed to scrap parking fees once elected mayor to encourage residents own cars.
Tindarwesire said this on Thursday during NRM flag-bearers joint rally at Maaya and Katobo trading centres in Kitimba ward, western division.
He said the municipality has many sources of revenue, that it was not necessary to introduce another tax since it is still a young municipality.
Parking fees was introduced in Rukungiri Municipality beginning January 2016 as source of local revenue a move that NRM aspirant for mayor opposed.
“There was introduction of property tax few years ago and up to now, most landlords have failed to pay it and those who paid its accountability is not seen, it was not in order to introduce another tax,” said Tindarwesire.
However, the town clerk Andrew Otim said municipal council introduced parking fees as the way of getting local revenue like other municipalities are doing. He said council expects to get total revenue of sh60m annually as they are beginning. He added that council proposed sh300 as parking fee per hour.
Tindarwesire said parking fees discourages residents to buy cars and already those with cars have begun selling them off while others have resorted to leave cars at home and foot whenever they are going to town.
He added that when elected mayor he will introduce a programme called ask the mayor as the way of giving accountability to tax payers that will be organised at least monthly.
Tindarwesire denied allegations that defunct Kigezi coffee growers collapsed in his hands as manager, saying he was a mere worker but not among those responsible for making decisions.
Meanwhile, the MP aspirant Dr. Elias Rutahigwa urged people of Kitimba to forget the differences that came up during the past NRM primaries and vote for only NRM flag-bearers.
“When President Museveni was campaigning here early this month, he told us that we can only succeed as a party if we put our support together on only flag-bearers, lets’ follow the president’s advice if we are to succeed,” he said.
Rutahigwa added that Museveni was complaining that he supported the creation of Rukungiri Municipality to develop it but was disappointed for electing a person who cannot sit with him in a caucus where they share the national cake from.
Seven candidates were nominated for Rukungiri municipality MP seat however, two of them have since withdrawn from the race leaving only five candidates in the race.
They are incumbent Rolland Mugume of FDC, Elias Rutahigwa of NRM and independents, Eliasaph Kakwateki, Francis Musimire, and Apollo Kabano.
