KCCA targets two million people for city festival

By Lawrence Mulondo & Juliet Waiswa

KAMPALA Capital City Authority KCCA executive director Jennifer Musisi has revealed that the city is expecting over two million people to attend the 2015 Kampala City Festival.

Organized under theme 'Color and Climate Change,' the fourth edition of the festival will aim at bringing Ugandans and other nationals to celebrate their heritage, color and climate.

"We want to lead in the climate change, sensitize people on how to protect their environment by planting a lot of trees and avoiding dumping of rubbish in drainage systems," Musisi said.  

While launching this year's event and accounting for last year's funds to the sponsors at City Hall Gardens, Musisi said that KCCA requires sh875m for this year's festival with half the funding expected to come from sponsors and traders.

She told the over 50 sponsors that in last's year, event KCCA raised sh806m of which 583m was used during the occasion leaving a deficient of sh223m, she revealed that the KCCA festival account still has a balance of sh223m.

She said that sh50 will go towards fencing off some UPE KCCA schools in the city

The annual event which draws thousands of city dwellers was started in 2012 with the aim of bringing residents of Kampala, neighboring countries and districts together as a way of celebrating the city.

The October 4th event is sponsored by the Vision Group, Airtel, MTN, City Tyres, Mukwano, Huawei, Ham Enterprises, Bell Breweries, Total Uganda among others.

She added that there will be lots of prizes in this year's festival with a float competition as the best float will walk away with sh3m, the second with sh2m, the third with sh1m and sh1m for the designer who will design the her costume.

Musisi said that according to the numbers of people who attended last year's festival and the positive feedback, this year's event will be bigger.

She explained that Ugandans in the diaspora and other Ugandans have embraced the festival adding that people will come to attend the event from as far as the United States, and United Kingdom

The Vision Group Chief Executive Officer Robert Kabushenga said that the reason as to why KCCA has many partners coming on joining the festival is because they have been the best leaders in Kampala for the past four years.  

"The reason we give you our support is because we trust you and have a vote of confidence in you and the institution. I will not tell you how much we are injecting in the festival, but we are in," Kabushenga said.

Last year the Vision Group broadcast a live coverage on all its televisions and radios.

Kabushenga warned the public on behavior during the festival or else they will be published in papers as these are the things people want to read.

He promised to air and publish the event on all Vision Group platforms to enable those in far places follow the events live.

Guests were entertained by BET award winner Eddie Kenzo and other performers

Total Uganda injected sh100M, Uganda Breweries sh150m, Airtel 100m, Coca Cola, Huawei, City Tyres, Crane Bank, Bank of Africa, Movit are among other sponsors.