Bukenya, Bwanika want Wakiso district to get city status

By Brian Mayanja   

A section of political leaders are asking the Government to upgrade Wakiso district to a city status.  

They are planning to table a proposal before the district council to debate and pass a resolution, according to the district chairman Matia Lwanga Bwanika.

Quoting section 32(1) of the Local Government Act, Bwanika said for an area to be declared a city, it must have 500,000 inhabitants; have the capacity to meet its cost of service delivery and master plan for land use.  

Currently, Wakiso district has a total population of over one million people, according to David Naluwayiiro, the district Chief Administrative Officer.  

While meeting area Members of Parliament at the district headquarters last week, Bwanika said Council was proposing a Mega- Polis (city) administration structure to replace the current one.

A mega Polis is a region made up of several urban centres and their surrounding areas are in sufficient proximity to be considered as a single urban complex.

 "The structure suggests that Wakiso district will become a city and the sub counties therein will be municipalities. We want constituencies to become town councils. Expects have already developed a technical paper," Bwanika explained.

 The technical paper presented to MPs, proposes that the Lord Mayor should be the head of this city.

It also justified for a city status, arguing that there was increased demands from the general public to provide urban infrastructure services.

 "Under Mega-Polis structure, the respective urban councils are required to collect revenue and remit 40% to the city to ensure sustainability in service delivery. The city receives 50% of local revenue, turns 50% into100% and returns 30% to the divisions," the technical paper reads.

MPs while reacting to the proposal asked the district technical team to speed up the idea.

 "I am excited about the idea. It is very brilliant but in Uganda good ideas are shot down. District technical staff should take this matter seriously,” Prof Gilbert Bukenya MP for Busiiro North cautioned them.

A former Vice-President advised them to form a committee that will sell this idea to central Government.

Joseph Balikudembe, Busiiro South MP said once the district had been up graded to a city status, land grabbing would be at rampant.

"The speculators will make it very expensive," he added