New KCCA boss pledges to transform the city

Eng. Kitaka, the acting executive director of KCCA, addressing journalists at the authority's offices in Kampala

The acting executive director of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Eng. Andrew Kitaka, has announced an ambitious plan to increase revenue collections by 30% over the next six months.

Kitaka said his target is to increase revenue collection from sh98b to sh126b.

Unveiling the city plan for the next six months, Kitaka explained that the authority would focus on the collection of property rates, ground rent and outdoor advertising.

He said for KCCA to achieve this target, they were going to put in place revenue compliance programmes to achieve the monthly target of sh4.5b by the end of first three months.

Kitaka said they hope to collect sh1.3b over the next three months from the new approved outdoor advertising and building fee rates.

He said they would conduct process inspection aimed at ensuring that the staff and the public adhere to the procedures, guidelines and audits.

Kitaka revealed that KCCA was going to implement the authority's decision to waive interest on outstanding property rates and request property owners to pay the principal amount. KCCA hopes to raise sh32b from this source of revenue.

Other areas that the authority would focus on, was the recovery of arrears from other services users. There would also be collection of fees from road users such as bodaboda riders and other commercials road users. The authority was also in process of marking parking spaces in the city.

Kitaka said plans were in high gear for ministries of works, security and KCCA to ensure the regulation of bodabodas.

Regarding service delivery, Kitaka said KCCA would implement the last batch of the Kampala Institutional Infrastructure Development project II under which roads such as Nakawa-Ntinda and Acacia Avenue would be widened to four lanes.

Other road projects such as Kulambiro, Kabusu- Bunamwaya-Entebbe road, Lukuli, Mobutu Road would be launched.

Kitaka said the directorate of physical planning had set an electronic system of paying for building permits which would reduce corruption in the institution and speed up service delivery.

Funding of the institution KCCA had received from the Africa Development Bank $252.60m (about sh972b) for infrastructural development and funding from Department for International Development (DFID) to construct 300km of road.

The Uganda Road Fund would provide funds for maintenance of roads such as Mulago, Binaisa, Sixth Street, Port Bell, Masaka-Salaama road and repair of the streetlights on Nateete road.

In order to mitigate flooding in the city, the Lubiggi-Bombo channel would be reconstructed.

He said plans for the redevelopment of both the New and Old Taxi parks were under way. The Chinese government would support the construction of the three storeyed parking for the New Park.

KCCA also had a plan to relocate the Kasubi market vendors from the street to a new location to pave the way for construction around this area.

KCCA is also planning to have street vendors relocated from the streets by providing spaces for them in the market and also creating spaces on some streets.

KCCA is going to extend the Kitezi landfill as they prepare the Dundu site in Wakiso. Kitaka said 500 illegal structures would be demolished and the owners be fined.

He said they planned to engage the church leaders, discotheques, mosques and garage owners in order to deal with noise pollution.