City of Poles: Kampala’s quest for connectivity turns into urban mayhem

KAMPALA - Kampala, Uganda’s bustling capital, is undergoing a quiet but chaotic transformation. 

Almost every week, a new metallic pole appears sometimes alongside four or five others, tilting precariously and cluttering the skyline like a haphazard steel forest. 

These are not streetlights or electric poles. They are internet and telecom masts, springing up across the city in a largely unregulated race to connect a growing tech-savvy population. 

“I have seen a lot of poles cropping up recently. I own a plot of land, and there are more than nine poles erected on it without any consultation! Every time a new internet company arrives; they install their own pole. Our walkways are now a complete mess,” Dr Amin Tamale Kigundu, the head of the architecture and physical planning department at Makerere University, said. 

His frustration mirrors that of many urban dwellers, as the pole problem stretches from Ntinda to Kyebando, Bweyogerere to Makindye. 

Each internet service provider (ISP) seems to operate independently, erecting infrastructure on already crowded walkways, pavements and green spaces, often without coordination or consideration for urban planning.

The sky has no zone 

What is driving this vertical invasion of Kampala’s public spaces? Experts say it’s a cocktail of lax regulation, weak enforcement and institutional fragmentation. 

The telecommunications boom, while admirable in its scale and ambition, has outpaced the systems meant to govern it. 

“Each internet service provider applies for a permit, and if they meet the technical requirements, they are allowed to erect poles. The trouble is, there’s no central mandate requiring infrastructure sharing,” he said. 

In contrast, countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa have embraced integrated infrastructure models, where multiple service providers share poles, ducts, or underground cabling. 

This reduces duplication, minimises environmental impact and maintains urban order. Uganda has yet to adopt this approach. 

Kigundu points to broader inefficiencies: “You will find a road newly constructed, and within the same week, National Water and Sewerage Corporation will dig it up for water or sewerage works. It shows that each ministry or agency is operating in isolation, without reference to the official city planner.

KCCA and way forward 

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), tasked with managing the city’s infrastructure, acknowledges the problem, but believes it is transitional.

“We have had to remove underground cables and move utility wires onto poles to keep services running. People need internet,” says KCCA spokesperson Daniel Muhumuza NuweAbine. 

“Some telecom companies are already sharing poles. It’s part of our long-term plan. Once the roadworks are completed, the city will look organised.” 

NuweAbine adds that KCCA is working with the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to align installations with the national Smart City roadmap. 

Beyond aesthetics and planning, experts argue that the duplication of poles is economically unsustainable. 

“Each company builds its own infrastructure because it doesn’t trust competitors to offer fair access. But in the end, everyone spends more, and customers suffer. It’s unhealthy competition,” Kigundu noted. 

Infrastructure sharing is a well-established model globally. One firm installs the poles or underground ducts, and other providers lease access. 

It fosters healthy competition based on service quality rather than physical dominance. 
Ibrahim Bbossa, UCC’s head of public and international relations, said they are working with KCCA and other urban authorities on a ‘Dig Once’ policy, where companies install shared underground ducts. 

A pilot project on Kampala Road in 2022, where ISPs jointly installed shared ducts, reportedly reduced pole clutter in the central business district by nearly 70%, according to Bbossa.

Suburbs left behind 

While the city centre has seen some success, the suburbs, where most of Kampala’s population lives, remain overwhelmed by poorly planned pole installations. 

High costs are partly to blame. Laying underground fibre is far more expensive than raising poles. Small ISPs, focused on rapid market expansion, often take the cheaper, faster route. 

Engineer and urban planner Abubaker Ssenabulya admits Kampala lacks a comprehensive infrastructure strategy. 

“We need a utility master plan, a 10-20-year blueprint showing where internet, water, electricity and telecom infrastructure should go,” he said. 

Ssenabulya added that fragmented responsibility across institutions worsens the issue. 

“The works ministry, UCC, KCCA, NITA-U and even UEDCL all have a role to play. But no single body is coordinating the effort,” he noted.

The Road to reform 

UCC is now finalising guidelines that will require internet service providers to share poles or ducts, especially in densely populated areas. 

In cities like Nairobi and Johannesburg, infrastructure is managed by neutral third-party firms that lease access to telecoms. Uganda is exploring similar models. 

KCCA and UCC are discussing a public private partnership to lay underground ducts across Greater Kampala, with the Government providing rights-of-way and private investors handling installation.

Hidden dancer 

The unregulated proliferation of poles poses risks beyond visual clutter and inefficiency. It is becoming a safety concern. 

Dr Ronald Kalumba, an emergency care physician at Mulago Hospital, recalls a disturbing incident in 2023 involving a schoolboy in Kisaasi, Kampala. 

“He tripped from an old pole and broke his hand trying to stop his fall. Cables hang low, poles lean dangerously, and some areas still have old poles that were never removed after being replaced. It’s a public health hazard,” he said. 

These dangers escalate during the rainy season. Metal poles can conduct electricity, and if they collapse or if live wires are mishandled, the consequences could be fatal.