KCCA Needs 32 Years To Free Kampala From Potholes

0

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has said that it will take the Authority 32 years to eliminate potholes in the city if Government maintains the current rate of funds it is allocating for road construction in the City.

The revelation was made by KCCA Deputy Executive Director, David Luyimbazi while appearing before the Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), where MPs wondered why the Authority is comfortable about being known as the merchants of potholes in the world.

Luyimbazi told MPs that KCCA has a road network of about 2100Kms of which 650Km is paved and of the paved roads, about 60% have outlived their design life, which means that about 320Kms have to be reconstructed but when computed against the funds the Authority has been getting against the unit cost of road construction, if the funding rate is maintained, KCCA would need 32 years to free the City from potholes.

“We have been getting a budget of about Shs64Bn to Shs70Bn every financial year for the past three years. Now, with the unit cost of Shs6-7Bn for every kilomenter that is about 10Kms we can do every year. Now, if we have 320Km that you have to reconstruct, you need 32years to fix those roads, that is the situation we are talking about. So when you ask us to take away the potholes, and you don’t look at the financing we have and we can only progress at 10Kms every year, and we need 32 years, you can now understand the dilemma we are in,” said Luyimbazi.

His remarks were in response to a question asked by Eddie Kwizera (Bukimbiri County) who stated, “When I drive around Kampala, the way I know this is under Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is by hitting a pothole, that is their identity. Would they want to be identified with potholes and that is a very big issue because they have a very competent departments and I think the Deputy Executive Director, David Luyimbazi is an Engineer. They have a competent Council, competent Executive Director, they have Ministers. But why should it be that we remember that KCCS exists when we hit potholes?”

Dorothy Kisaka, Executive Director denied allegations of KCCA identifying itself with potholes but blamed the current predicament on meager funds the Authority receives.

“Nobody wants to be known by a negative name. Our budget hasn’t met the need of dealing with the potholes in the City. We have been given a promise because money isn’t money until it is given that in the next financial year, there is a substantial budget allotted to us and some of these things are going to be addressed. Without a budget, we can’t do anything. It isn’t like planting grass which we just grow. Roads require billions and billions of shillings. But the commitment, plan, good will and ability to do the work is there, that isn’t something we are running away from,” said Kisaka.

It should be recalled that following the Kampala Pothole Exhibition, that took place on social media in 2023, Government in the 2024/25 National Budget earmarked Shs592.08bn to address flooding, traffic congestion, poor road infrastructure, un-signalized junctions, provision of street lighting and storm water drainage enhancements in Kampala.