When Kampala’s habits work against the city

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OPINION

Hajat Sharifah Buzeki, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director (ED), is restless. She demands perfection and, for this reason, is constantly “on the ground”, as is commonly said in Uganda. It means she is out in the field to see what is happening. She conducts on-the-spot inspections of road works and even physically participates in city clean-up exercises.

Her presence gets things moving, but it also reveals a deeper problem: many Ugandans struggle to maintain order without close supervision. Work often stalls under minimal oversight. People must be told that something falls below standards before they act. There is a tendency towards quick fixes, the idea that “whatever works, works”, with little regard for quality. This is evident in several projects and businesses, and when things fail, complaints quickly follow.

Several roads in the city are currently under construction in a bid to make the capital truly reflect its status. Buzeki visits these sites, asks the right questions and is often met with flimsy excuses. She has pointed out mounds of soil left in gutters under construction, only to be told there are plans to remove them later. It is baffling that this is not done as work progresses to maintain a clean environment. Worse still, such negligence blocks water runoff and contributes to flooding. At some sites, she has threatened to do the work herself, prompting workers to scramble for shovels and clear the loose soil.

Commonly, piles of soil, stones and other construction debris are left unattended. Before long, newly constructed roads are eroded and damaged by stormwater. Gutters, already clogged with soil, soon block the flow of water. Buzeki clearly has a tough task. The fact that she must personally ensure contractors do the right thing points to a deeper systemic issue.

At one site, she observed that work only gains momentum when her inspection is anticipated. At another, she questioned the narrow drainage channels and was told it was “by design”, though it could be fixed. To her, this points to future problems if proper standards are not upheld.

Regarding delays at some project sites, contractors often cite the failure to relocate essential infrastructure, such as water and telecommunications lines. In some cases, these installations are left exposed, and even after roads are completed, utility providers return to break them open for installation, undoing the work done.

Beyond construction sites, she has inspected some business and residential areas, finding people living comfortably amid filth. At one shopping centre, she found a woman seated in front of her shop with litter scattered around, seemingly unbothered. When asked why the place was not clean, the response was, “We shall clean up”.

It is perplexing that people are so indifferent to their surroundings. One might even interpret this as a silent acceptance of disorder.

To make matters worse, customers continue to patronise such environments. The executive director cannot be everywhere at all times. Real change will require citizens to reject filth outright. Refusing to buy from unhygienic places should become the norm — perhaps even forming the basis of a public campaign. Similarly, people should avoid eating at restaurants or food outlets that do not meet basic cleanliness standards. A citizen-led effort of this kind would likely be more effective than relying on the ED and her team to carry out daily inspections. It would also help address the recurring perception that when KCCA steps in to enforce standards, it is unfairly targeting certain groups.

Before the eviction of street vendors from the city centre, people routinely bought items laid out on the ground. Not only pedestrians, but even motorists in expensive cars would slow down to purchase goods, including food displayed on dirty plastic sheets or sacks. In this way, buyers enabled the vendors. As long as customers came, vendors saw nothing wrong. It was a thriving but problematic system.

When an open-air eatery run by persons with disabilities on Luwum Street, at the edge of the Old Taxi Park, popularly known as Kajja, was demolished during the crackdown on illegal structures, cockroaches and rats emerged from the stalls. This exposed the unhygienic conditions in which food had been prepared and served to hundreds of people. The customers and vendors seemed unconcerned. What mattered is the food was cheap, and the sellers were making money. Had customers upheld higher standards, such places would not have survived for so long. The same applies to other unhygienic establishments. This tendency can be traced back to years of instability and economic breakdown.

During the rule of Idi Amin, when systems collapsed, standards deteriorated sharply. Uncollected garbage piled up near homes, workplaces and business premises, becoming a normal sight. Burst pipes and overflowing sewage near commercial areas were tolerated. In the absence of alternatives, people discharged waste into drainage channels during rain.

Similar habits persist in offices and business premises, dumping food waste in sinks or outside designated bins. This contributes to the persistent problem of littering in Kampala and other cities. The underlying issue is a lack of collective discipline and awareness. Although KCCA has installed roadside bins, many people still litter. In some cases, metallic bins are vandalised and sold as scrap, which eventually finds its way into steel rolling mills that do not question their origin, creating a market for stolen public infrastructure.

When vendors began operating on the streets, it was clearly wrong, but over time, it became normalised.

Politicians, seeking votes, allowed the practice to continue. Vendors spread goods on the ground, obstructed pedestrians and shop owners, dumped waste and erected makeshift stalls. When evictions occur, there is often an outcry resisting efforts to restore order.

A city aspiring to global standards must persuade its citizens to abandon such practices. Contractors must do the right thing, not because they expect inspections, but because quality work leads to future opportunities. The focus must shift from cutting corners to building and sustaining high standards.

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