KCCA celebrates seven years
May 30, 2018
KCCA SUPPLEMENT
KCCA enabling growth
Bernard Kaggwa has been out of the country for the last 10 years. Recently, when he returned.
Kaggwa was amazed by the developments in Kampala. The changes range from infrastructure such as roads, drainage, street lighting and traffic junctions, to waste management. This is part of Kampala's seven-year transformation which started on April 15, 2011.
Evolution of KCCA
Kampala was under the local government governance structure until 2011. During that time, there were weak structures in leadership, which led to uncontrolled development, growth of slums, poor solid waste management, poor roads and drainage that led to recurrent flooding.
There was a breakdown in financial management systems with over 150 bank accounts in the names of Kampala City Council, apathy, disengagement among others. With the new leadership, a new vision, mission and a new corporate identity were established.
In 2010, the Government enacted the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Act, a professional technical wing headed by the executive director and the political wing headed by the mayor was formed. A minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs was also appointed.
The new setup also came with a new corporate identity. The vision is to be a vibrant, attractive and sustainable city, with a mission to deliver quality services in the city.
The core values at the heart of the transformation are client care, integrity, teamwork, innovativeness and excellence. Between 2011 and 2018, several developments have been realised among them the transport sector.
KCCA has had over 210km of roads upgraded to bitumen and over 500km of gravel roads maintained. KCCA has also been able to reconfigure and install responsive functional traffic signals at 20 junctions including Nakawa, Nateete, Wandegeya, Fairway, Bwaise and Kiira Road.
Others are Game Lugogo, Katikati, Kololo Airstrip and Naguru. "We installed 4,988 streetlights in the city, of which 1,560 are solar, promoting eco-friendly initiatives," the KCCA executive director, Jennifer Musisi, states.
She adds that with support from the World Bank under Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP II), KCCA has reconstructed and upgraded several roads to dual lanes. These include Makerere Hill Road, Kiira, Mambule and Bakuli-Kasubi.
"KCCA also rehabilitated nine roads in Makerere University as part of the compensation on the land which the university gave in order to extend the Makerere Hill Road," Musisi revealed.
Over 169km of drainage are maintained each year and over the last one year, KCCA completed reconstruction of 13km of community drains. KCCA established the Kyanja concrete yard to address youth unemployment, through the manufacturing of concrete products for city drainage and road works.
It is currently employing and providing on-job training for the youth. With the new development at City Hall, KCCA was divided into five directorates. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS STORY
Ssebuggwawo gives new life to Rubaga division
Peter Wasswa the Local Council chairman, Bunamwaya Ngobya zone B, Rubaga division, is one of the residents who will applaud the mayor of Joyce Nabbosa Ssebuggwawo once the Kabuusu Lweza road is complete. The road from MM Pub Kabuusu to Lweza is narrow and filled with potholes.
It has murram from Bunamuwaya up to Lweza. It is through Ssebuggwawo's efforts as the mayor of Rubaga that residents have offered part of their land to have the road constructed to ease traffic follow.
Ssebuggwawo went out to convince the residents to accept the arrangement "We have managed to convince residents along Kabuusu to Lweza to pave way for the construction of that road. Each resident has managed to give the contractors about two metres off their land without compensation, which is an unprecedented act," she explains.
Ssebuggwawo says since she became mayor of Rubaga division about three years ago, several achievements have transformed the area. Once the few residents along the road are compensated, construction will begin in August and the road will connect the users to Entebbe Road, according to the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
Road works
The works involve reconstruction, widening and upgrading from gravel to bitumen. Other roads in the division which have been upgraded are Bakuli through Nakulabye to Kasubi, along Hoima Road, Mutundwe, Kiyimba and Nalukolongo, among others These roads will be widened to four-lanes, in addition to installing traffic lights at the Bakuli and Kasubi junctions. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS NOTICE
NSSF, KCCA partner to transform city
As part of its corporate social responsibility agenda, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has over the last three years, partnered with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) on various projects to transform the lives of city dwellers.
The two institutions are partnering in areas of health and education, within Kampala city and surrounding areas. As KCCA celebrates its seven year anniversary, NSSF managing director Richard Byarugaba applauds the authority for the tremendous work that it has done to give Kampala a face lift.
"The city has transformed greatly. We now have better infrastructure in terms of roads and traffic lights in almost all residential areas and streets. We have also road names, which is helping people locate places easily," Byarugaba says.
Byarugaba explains that in 2015, NSSF embarked on an initiative with KCCA, aimed at raising funds, to improve the learning conditions of underprivileged children in public schools.
The funds were used to improve access to clean, safe water as well as renovating selected dilapidated structures in the schools. "The initiative is being implemented through the annual NSSF Kampala hash Seven Hills run, where NSSF mobilises corporate organisations to raise funds for the cause,"Byarugaba says. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS STORY
Narrow tax base affects KCCA revenue
Despite the numerous achievements of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) in the seven years since its inception, like any other institution, it has faced some challenges which have slowed down service delivery. According to the deputy executive director, Samuel Sserunkuuma, the major challenge is the narrow taxbase.
Public transport
This has come as a result of Government stopping KCCA from collecting revenue from bodabodas, commuter taxis and trucks.
"This revenue loss is a big setback for the institution. We no longer collect revenue from the commercial road users and as a result, we have lost sh21b from only commuter taxis," Sserukuuma reveals.
KCCA used to collect sh1.8b from the commuter taxis on a monthly basis, charging sh120,000 from each taxi monthly, but it is close to one year since the institution was blocked from collecting that tax.
Sserukuuma also explains that Kampala district had land from which it used to generate ground rent, but it was fraudulently given away to investors as freehold, which denied the institution good revenue. He says KCCA does not have enabling laws to regulate the markets, bodabodas and commuter taxis.
The last ordinances were drafted in 2006, and the fact that the authority failed to implement new laws has encouraged offenders to take the law into their hands. This includes street vending, littering and erecting illegal structures.
The perpetrators end up walking away scot free or even paying a minimal for offences. The increase in population in the city has raised the demand for service delivery in hospitals which can no longer offer the budgeted health service. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS NOTICE
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