A group of Members of Parliament representing Kampala constituencies has delivered a stern ultimatum to the government, demanding immediate action to rectify the chronic issues of flooding and deteriorating roads within the city. If their demands are not met within two weeks, they have vowed to organize public protests to address these pressing concerns.
During a recent plenary sitting on Friday, Abubaker Kawalya, the MP for Rubaga North, drew attention to the dire situation, highlighting how poor drainage systems in Kampala have led to frequent and severe flooding. He expressed deep concern and frustration over the persistent problems and declared,
"We shall not sit down and see all these challenges. We are giving them an ultimatum of a maximum of two weeks to work on most of the challenges that have affected our people, especially when it comes to flooding." he said.
Kawalya also scrutinized the proposal made by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, known as the First Son, to deploy the Special Forces Command (SFC) to fill Kampala's potholes with soil during his recent tour of the city. He argued that the root issue lies not in the availability of human capital but rather the inadequacy of funds allocated to the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).
"The main challenge of the roads in Kampala isn't the human capital," Kawalya asserted. "We have well-paid engineers in KCCA (Kampala Capital City Authority), contractors ready to work if the resources are provided. But our concern is, why has the government failed to provide resources for the construction of roads and drainage in the city?"
Allan Ssewanyana, the MP for Makindye West, echoed these sentiments and criticized the government's failure to prioritize road infrastructure and drainage in Kampala, despite the city being the largest contributor to the national tax base. Ssewanyana emphasized that residents of Kampala pay substantial taxes and, as a result, expect better road conditions in the city.
"As leaders, we will not sit back and watch Kampala deteriorate, especially when it concerns drainages and roads," Ssewanyana stated emphatically. "We have roads that aren't roads. If you look at the potholes in Kampala, they are covering close to 9,440 square kilometers, which means almost 90% of the roads in Kampala have potholes. People are spending too much on repairing their cars due to these potholes."
It's worth noting that in August 2023, Parliament approved two loan facilities totaling Shs2.2 trillion from the World Bank and the French government for road construction projects in Metropolitan Kampala. Despite these allocations, the city continues to grapple with the persistent challenges of potholes and flooding, prompting these lawmakers to take a stand and demand urgent action.
