KCCA constitutes roads committee

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Nakawa East Member of Parliament, Eng. Ronald Balimwezo Nsubuga has been named the new Chairperson of the City Roads Committee.

This followed a closed-door meeting attended by Balimwezo, the Executive Director of KCCA Dorothy Kisaka, the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, other division mayors, and other Members of Parliament from Kampala.

The committee is provided for under the Uganda Road Funds of 2008 with the objective of monitoring the road infrastructure in the City. Members of the committee include the Lord Mayor, KCCA Executive Director, City Members of Parliament and Division Mayors, Town clerks, Director of Engineering, and City Minister for Works.

Data from KCCA indicates that out of the 21,000 km of roads in Kampala, only 654km are tarmacked and of this, 380 km are in bad shape and need repair. KCCA has been receiving between 20 to 26 billion Shillings only from the Uganda Road Fund for road maintenance.

The budget for road construction has been largely acquired through loans from the World Bank and now the African Development Bank-ADB.

Balimwezo said that there is a need to increase funding to Kampala Capital City by the Central government to improve the City’s road network.

Lukwago said that although the Act requires the line Minister to set clear functions or the mandate of the Committee, this is yet to be fulfilled. He however says that they shall evoke the general provision that the committee monitors the road infrastructure in the City to commence operations immediately.

The Kampala City Roads Committee has been inaugurated at City Hall with Hon Ronald Balimwezo, the Nakawa East MP elected as chairperson.

Details here https://t.co/faqRxuoWav#ForABetterCity

— Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) (@KCCAUG) May 5, 2023

He also reiterated the need to increase funding for the city road works including construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance. He says as discussions on the 2023/2024 budget framework paper near completion, the budget for city roads should be increased to meet the needs of the Capital.

Kisaka said that the political leaders now have a platform where they can closely monitor the city road network. She says the technical wing has been doing most of the work including carrying the blame when the roads are in a bad state yet this has often been a result of meager funding.

She hopes that with the committee in place, they shall together demand increased funding from the central government.

Barely a month ago, renowned cartoonist and Philosophy lecturer at Makerere University Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo spearheaded an online exhibition of the poor road network in Kampala.

On Twitter people posted potholes in the different roads in the City. This prompted intensified discussions on the state of road infrastructure in Kampala and the President ordered the Ministry of Finance to immediately release six billion shillings to KCCA to work on City roads.

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