Let’s pick up from CHOGM
MOST Kampala property owners have succumbed to the mad rush of giving their buildings a face-lift. In almost every corner, you are bound to bump into cleaners, painters or technicians busy patching up or fixing previously unoperational areas, thanks to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (
By Jude Katende
MOST Kampala property owners have succumbed to the mad rush of giving their buildings a face-lift. In almost every corner, you are bound to bump into cleaners, painters or technicians busy patching up or fixing previously unoperational areas, thanks to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Before, nobody cared. Ssebaana Kizito, during his tenure as Kampala mayor, called for the repainting of buildings, but many property owners turned a deaf ear.
But the CHOGM fever has gripped most property owners forcing them to at least apply a few coats of paint on their plazas, cafes, arcades, malls, shops, houses and complexes. Washable buildings like Amber House and its neighbour, Centenary Bank (corporate branch), have been scrubbed clean.
Kitgum House, Diamond Trust, Parliament Building, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) building, the National Theatre and the City Hall among many have all undergone repair and repainting. Also repaired or remodelled are walkways, pavements, fences, roads and flower gardens.
How I wish owners and the Government could do regular repairs and cleaning on their property. But what is more worrying is that it is very likely that after CHOGM we may go back to our usual ways.
Occasional repairs should be the responsibility of landlords. But some buildings have had algae and weeds growing on the walls, roofs and terraces, while others have had broken tiles and non-flushing lavatories for decades.
At Jinja road Police station, where for some years unclaimed wrecked vehicles have been lying, renovations are going on briskly and it looks like the dusty compound will soon be tarmacked.
Katwe Police station in Kibuye, has gone a step further with the construction of a new brick wall fence on top of having the compound tarmacked.
Development House, which houses the Ministry of Education and Sports had decayed for years, but it has had some parts of its exterior repaired and it looks shiny with a fresh coat of paint.
The building housing Kampala Nissan on Jinja road has been painted and also had its flower gardens repaired after years of neglect.
However, some people deny that the repairs are because of CHOGM.
Justina Ntabgoba, the Celtel Uganda publicist, said they regularly carry out renovations and the ongoing repairs at Celtel House have nothing to do with CHOGM.
If this is true, then that is what everybody else should be doing instead of panicking, when expecting visitors.
Jane Kasumba, UBC’s public relations officer, says theirs has been an ongoing process which started much earlier, but CHOGM has somehow speeded up the refurbishment of the building constructed by the israelis in the 1950s.
Edward Musinguzi, the managing director of UBC, says about sh370m has been sunk into the project.
The UBC headquarters have been repainted, the Broadcast House is also undergoing glazing, while the Engineering building has been given a new fence. Installation of tiles and paving of the parking yard will be completed soon.
Entebbe and Jinja towns, have also not been left behind. Almost all Entebbe’s roads have been repaired and buildings refurbished.
But there are many other areas where buildings are in dire need of refurbishment. For example, the exterior of most buildings on Luwum Street need repairs or at least, a coat of paint.
The roadside traders will forever curse CHOGM for evicting from their business ‘premises’ as flowers and grass have become the new ‘tenants’ of the road reserves.
MOST Kampala property owners have succumbed to the mad rush of giving their buildings a face-lift. In almost every corner, you are bound to bump into cleaners, painters or technicians busy patching up or fixing previously unoperational areas, thanks to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Before, nobody cared. Ssebaana Kizito, during his tenure as Kampala mayor, called for the repainting of buildings, but many property owners turned a deaf ear.
But the CHOGM fever has gripped most property owners forcing them to at least apply a few coats of paint on their plazas, cafes, arcades, malls, shops, houses and complexes. Washable buildings like Amber House and its neighbour, Centenary Bank (corporate branch), have been scrubbed clean.
Kitgum House, Diamond Trust, Parliament Building, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) building, the National Theatre and the City Hall among many have all undergone repair and repainting. Also repaired or remodelled are walkways, pavements, fences, roads and flower gardens.
How I wish owners and the Government could do regular repairs and cleaning on their property. But what is more worrying is that it is very likely that after CHOGM we may go back to our usual ways.
Occasional repairs should be the responsibility of landlords. But some buildings have had algae and weeds growing on the walls, roofs and terraces, while others have had broken tiles and non-flushing lavatories for decades.
At Jinja road Police station, where for some years unclaimed wrecked vehicles have been lying, renovations are going on briskly and it looks like the dusty compound will soon be tarmacked.
Katwe Police station in Kibuye, has gone a step further with the construction of a new brick wall fence on top of having the compound tarmacked.
Development House, which houses the Ministry of Education and Sports had decayed for years, but it has had some parts of its exterior repaired and it looks shiny with a fresh coat of paint.
The building housing Kampala Nissan on Jinja road has been painted and also had its flower gardens repaired after years of neglect.
However, some people deny that the repairs are because of CHOGM.
Justina Ntabgoba, the Celtel Uganda publicist, said they regularly carry out renovations and the ongoing repairs at Celtel House have nothing to do with CHOGM.
If this is true, then that is what everybody else should be doing instead of panicking, when expecting visitors.
Jane Kasumba, UBC’s public relations officer, says theirs has been an ongoing process which started much earlier, but CHOGM has somehow speeded up the refurbishment of the building constructed by the israelis in the 1950s.
Edward Musinguzi, the managing director of UBC, says about sh370m has been sunk into the project.
The UBC headquarters have been repainted, the Broadcast House is also undergoing glazing, while the Engineering building has been given a new fence. Installation of tiles and paving of the parking yard will be completed soon.
Entebbe and Jinja towns, have also not been left behind. Almost all Entebbe’s roads have been repaired and buildings refurbished.
But there are many other areas where buildings are in dire need of refurbishment. For example, the exterior of most buildings on Luwum Street need repairs or at least, a coat of paint.
The roadside traders will forever curse CHOGM for evicting from their business ‘premises’ as flowers and grass have become the new ‘tenants’ of the road reserves.