Kampala City requires Shs800bn annually to revamp roads and drainage infrastructure

The State Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Hon. Kyofa Kabuye has revealed that Kampala City requires a 10-year master plan with funding estimated at Shs800 billion annually to revamp its roads and drainage infrastructure.

The Minister presented a statement on the poor state of roads in the city on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, and urged for supplementary funding of Shs40 billion from the Uganda Road Fund to meet the city’s road and drainage maintenance needs.

KCCA’s limited road maintenance is attributed to underfunding, budget cuts, and delays in the release of funds. To reconstruct the backlog of 353 km of paved roads in fair and poor condition, KCCA requires at least Shs2.2 trillion, said Kyofa Kabuye.

Furthermore, the authority needs an estimated Shs610 billion to implement fully the Kampala Drainage Master Plan, which covers 78 km of primary drainage and 134 km of secondary drainage.

The Committee on Physical Infrastructure recommended that the Ministry of Finance commits more funding towards developing KCCA roads so that interventions are commensurate with the network coverage.

 Committee Chairperson, Hon. David Karubanga, suggests that Uganda Road Fund should increase the percentage to KCCA from Shs467 billion as local governments and urban authorities are set to benefit from the Shs1 billion allocated to them.

Hon. Nathan Byanyima emphasized the need to increase funding to KCCA to keep roads in order, noting that the authority receives only 25% of funds from the Uganda Road Fund.

“I appeal to Parliament that since we are still in the budgeting process, let us go back to the drawing board and ensure a big portion is directed to Kampala city so that we maintain roads to a motorable condition,” said Byanyima.

Hon. Muhammad Nsereko highlights the importance of improving road drainage in Kampala to keep the infrastructure in a good state. He urges budget allocations for drainage, as heavy runoff water washes away roads.

“In the budget allocations we are planning, there is zero for drainage. Roads are being washed away by heavy runoff water and as long as you do not allocate money for drainage, even if you make many roads, they will be washed away,” said Nsereko.

Hon. Abubaker Kawalya suggests channelling funds collected through property tax towards improving the state of roads in Kampala City. He notes that the Local Governments (Rating) Act requires the money collected to work on road construction, drainage systems, and city lighting. As Kampala contributes over 65% of GDP, a lot still needs to be done on its road network.

The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, urges Parliament to ensure adequate funding is channelled to KCCA to improve the road infrastructure of the city. He suggests instructing the Committee on the budget to allocate money to Kampala as it is the face of the country’s civilization.