Nsubuga Yunus
Unless President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni returns her as the Executive Director of Kampala Capital Authority(KCCA), Dorothy Kisaka’s City Hall tenure is expected to come to an end next week on the 23rd of July.
Kisaka was appointed to the coveted position by the President in June 2021 and was approved by the Public Service Ministry on 21, July 2021. Her three-year tenure will expire next week and President Museveni is expected to either renew the appointment or bring in someone new.
Kisaka, who is only the second person to spearhead the City’s Technical wing in a substantive capacity after Jennifer Musisi is remembered to have steered the Authority under the most challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant lockdown which disrupted business in the city and the country at large.
One major sector that has been under the intense spotlight is the roads and infrastructure department which has recently been attracting public scrutiny as a result of the emergence of ugly potholes which has largely been blamed on the inefficiency of the Authority.
However, contrary to the general picture painted out there to seem like nothing has been done to address traffic mobility in the city, we highlight below what interventions have been embarked on to address the road problem in Kampala over the last three years.
12.9 km of roads have been upgraded or constructed with funding from the Government of Uganda with another 43.12 km worked on with external funding from the World Bank under the Kampala Infrastructure and Institutional Development Project(KIIDP2).
The works above can be categorized below as far as what has been attained in which particular financial year and from which funding source.
In the FY2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23, the Government of Uganda funded 0.68, 5.88 and 12.91 of the road works budget in the city with 5.61, 34.68 and 43.12 km worked on with funding from KIIDP2 Funding.
On top of the above, several City Roads Infrastructure Development works are currently ongoing on the different roads in Kampala. These include; the upgrade of 13.64 km and construction/ rehabilitation of 8.66km in the city using GOU Capital Development Funds. 69km are being upgraded with Africa Development Bank under Kampala City Road rehabilitation and (KCRRF). These works have been lotted into five lots which are currently at different stages of progress.
The authority has also carried out routine and periodic maintenance of 400km of the city’s paved roads per annum, along with 800km of unpaved roads with funding from the Uganda Road Fund.
The scope of maintenance works undertaken includes; pothole patching, sectional repairs, grading and gravelling, and manual and mechanism resulting n road drainage channels, among others.
As far as improving city junctions is concerned, as many as 17 were signalised under KIIDP2 and GOU funding. The new signalised junctions are; 5 junctions along John Babiha (Acacia) Avenue, 5 along Nakawa Ntinda, 2 along Lukuli, 3 along Kabuusu-Bunamwaya-Lweeza road, Ben Kiwanuka/Luwum Street and Kasubi junction.
Besides, signalisation works on 27 city junctions have commenced. These will be funded by a grabt from Japan International Cooperstion Agency(JICA). KCCA also maintained 39 existing traffic signal junctions under the framework contract for signal maintenance.
The completion of the construction of the old tax park is one of the key highlights of Kisaka’s tenure. This covers a total area of 14,273 square meters. The project has worked to tremendously improve traffic and the general outlook of the city downtown.
Despite the commendable work done so far, several challenges such as inadequate funding, vandalism of roads furniture including street lighting components, and manhole covers, understanding, for instance, the Directorate of Engineering and Tevhnical Services which operates at less than 50% of the approved staff structure and capacity gaps in the utilisation of BIMs. These have detailed progress despite the capacity to do even more.
