Sh37b Kaliddubi drainage channel upgrade to relieve Entebbe Road of floods

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The Government has flagged off sh37b works to upgrade Kaliddubi drainage channel to address the challenges of flooding along Entebbe Road as well as save lives and property.

The project is being funded by the World Bank and the government of Uganda under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme to mitigate flood risks and manage stormwater.

The 14.7km Kaliddubi channel stretches from Nalukolongo, Nyanama, cutting across the existing Entebbe Road at Lufuka between Namasuba and Zana. It traverses communities of Ndejje, Kibiri and Busabaala before draining into Lake Victoria.

Monica Ejua Edemachu, the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, said the Kaliddubi channel is being constructed in phases due to limited funding.

Edemachu was speaking during the handover of the first phase of the project of 3.2km to the contractor China Railway Number 10 Engineering Group from China.

The project will involve fixing big box culverts across the existing Kampala-Entebbe Road to handle the increasing volumes of stormwater.

The channel will range between five to seven meters wide at different sections, and all project-affected persons have already been notified to vacate to pave the way for the construction works.

Edemachu said the project will move along with inconveniences that the public will have to bear when constructing the culverts across Entebbe Road and directed the contractor to involve the traffic police to manage traffic flow.

However, she warned the contractor against poor pay to workers, mainly for unskilled labour, non-adherence to environmental and social safeguards and shoddy work.

The project has been given two supervising consultants; MBJ Consults as the lead for civil works and Ardent International Consult Limited for Environmental Social Safeguards. The physical construction works will take 18 months in addition to the defects liability period of one year.

Moses Atimong, the Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipal Town Clerk, said this is a signature project for the municipality, which will not only to stop flooding but will also protect the image of the country for those travelling to and from Entebbe International Airport via Entebbe Road.

“Flooding of storm water over the main carriageway of Kampala -Entebbe Road at Namasuba and Zana will soon be history with completion of the upgrade works for Kaliddubi Channel,” said Atimong.

He pledged to ensure that the contractor adheres to the agreed designs and specifications to ensure value for money and completion of the work within the agreed timeframe.

David Sserukenya, the Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality Member of Parliament, said construction of the drainage channel is a milestone in the history of the municipality that is expected to bear fruits beyond what the public can see with physical eyes.

“It has taken us years of planning and lobbying for funds to upgrade this channel, but our prayers have finally been heard by God,” said Sserukenya.

Bosco Sserunkuma Galabuzi, the Makindye-Ssabagabo municipal Mayor, pledged collaborative support to the contractor to ensure that the project moves as planned.

“By the end of my term as the mayor, construction of the entire Kaliddubi drainage channel will have been completed. Communities where the channel traverses have suffered with floods, and people have lost valuables and lives,” said Galabuzi.