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KAMPALA - The Undersecretary, Ministry of Kampala Affairs has defended the existence of the Ministry of Kampala saying that Uganda’s capital is growing and urbanizing at a rapid rate.

Appearing before the Public Accountants Committee of Parliament on Thursday, May 24, 2024, Monica Edemachu Ejua, the Undersecretary, Ministry of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs said Kampala's population currently stands at about 5 million people, but Government is looking at this population increasing to about 11 million people by 2040 which calls for the need to plan effectively.

“If we don’t plan for this region, then it is a serious time bomb having in mind that the bigger percentage of the GDP, over 60% is from this region and there are so many challenges affecting this region, so our mandate is gearing around addressing these issues.

With the Ministry of Land and Urban Development, we work with them at the strategic level, when it comes to coordinating and making sure that they implement the plans in line with the guidelines, so there is no duplication of these mandates in any way," she explained.

Lawmakers on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee questioned the relevance of the existence of the Ministry of Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, yet there already exists Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), saying the funds being used to run the Ministry would instead go towards improving services within the city and other surrounding areas.

The MPs made the remarks while interfacing with officials from the Ministry of Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs that had appeared before the Committee to respond to the queries raised in the December 2023 Auditor General’s report, where they decried the duplication of roles between the Ministry of Kampala, KCCA and Ministry of Lands & Urban Development.

“The entities in the Metropolitan have been planning in silos, you will find KCCA developing a road just stopping at its boundary but now the Ministry comes up to bring these nine entities together to avoid planning in silos such that if we are looking at a physical plan, we are looking at the entire metropolitan as this place is getting heavily urbanized.

So, the Ministry brings together all these entities to ensure that development is done not in silos but in a coordinated manner and we have found that that is working, and we are working with these accounting officers in the 9 entities,” Edemachu added.

She said the Ministry does not in any way duplicate activities of other entities, Kampala Capital City Authority has the mandate to implement government programmes at grassroots, but Kampala ministry plays an oversight role and comes out with the policies on issues that haven’t been addressed like when it comes to amending the law for KCCA.

It is the work of the Ministry and preparing policy documents to Cabinet is the work of the Ministry, she explained.