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Kampala, Uganda | URN | Nakawa West MP and Kampala Lord Mayor-elect Eng. Ronald Balimwezo has vowed that he will reject the handover of substandard road projects in Kampala.
Balimwezo was speaking during Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee meeting to scrutinize Kampala Capital City Authority’s Ministerial Policy Statement for FY2026/27 on Wednesday, 1 April 2026.
He singled out Spring Road as an example of poor workmanship. “The state of some roads is appalling; there are deep potholes, and it is disheartening,” he said.
“As Lord Mayor-elect, I will not accept the handover of roads done in such an unacceptable manner.”
Balimwezo, who recently toured the sites with the Works Ministry, blamed weak supervision and lax enforcement of contracts, noting that some projects remain incomplete despite missing their deadlines.
He also raised concerns over what he described as systemic mismanagement of public assets, warning that KCCA is losing land worth billions of shillings.
He cited alleged encroachment on Kololo Secondary School playgrounds and threats to land in Naguru–Nakawa and Matope Grounds, which he said were only saved through intervention by local leaders.
Road reserves such as Kataza Link Road have also reportedly been subdivided and encroached upon.
“The root of the problem is the lack of a proper property inventory system,” Balimwezo said.
“Parliament must ring-fence funds for a comprehensive asset register to safeguard public land.”
KCCA Deputy Executive Director Benon Moses Kigenyi acknowledged the challenges but said performance has improved beyond the mid-year figures.
He clarified that the widely cited 4 percent road completion rate reflected performance as of December 31, 2025, adding that updated figures show better progress.
KCCA has upgraded 4.6 kilometres of roads using in-house capacity, though this remains modest compared to Kampala’s 2,100-kilometre road network, of which only about 775 kilometres are paved, many in deteriorating condition.
Kigenyi also pointed to structural constraints, including unfunded mass transit plans such as bus rapid transit, light rail, and monorail systems.
“We have the plans in place, but we are still awaiting financing from the government and development partners,” he said.
Kabuye Kyofatogabye, Minister of State for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, identified road management, waste management, and city cleanliness as the capital’s most pressing challenges.
He attributed delays in road projects to utility relocations, such as water pipes, electricity lines, and sewer systems, which can consume up to three months of project timelines.
The minister also acknowledged a critical shortage of land for public infrastructure, particularly schools, following years of public land sales.
“Going forward, the government will prioritise land acquisition for public infrastructure,” he said.
Kyofatogabye pledged stricter enforcement measures to restore order in the city, including banning illegal street vending and restricting taxis to gazetted parks. “Kampala must become a well-planned, orderly city,” he emphasised.
The scrutiny comes as KCCA prepares to implement its largest budget yet, with UGX1.058 trillion allocated for FY2026/27, an increase of 15.5 percent from the previous year.
Under the plan, aligned to the Public Finance Management Act and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), KCCA will prioritise; completion of 29.15 km of roads under the Kampala City Roads Rehabilitation Project; construction works on 35.99 km of additional roads, expansion of waste management capacity to over 547,500 tonnes annually, rehabilitation of 523 acres of green spaces and planting of 10,000 trees and health infrastructure upgrades, including a 60-bed maternity ward at Kiswa.
Despite increased funding, performance indicators present a mixed picture. Citizen satisfaction remains below average at 48.98 percent, while budget absorption stood at 57.6 percent by mid-year FY2025/26.
In FY2024/25, only 42.83 percent of paved roads were in good condition, and solid waste management fell short of targets following the collapse of the Kitezi landfill.
