Speaker Among slams KCCA over selective road repairs.

 

Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has asked the leadership of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to consider fixing all roads and potholes across the city as opposed to only rehabilitating those that will facilitate movement of dignitaries who will attend the Non-Allied Movement (NAM) conference.

While presiding over the plenary sitting on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, Ms Among criticised the approach used by KCCA to fix city roads after it emerged that priority is given to those leading to venues and hotels that will host the NAM conference in January 2024. 

“While I commend KCCA for its commitment to improving the physical state of the City, I note that most of the ongoing road works are aimed at the forthcoming international conferences and meetings,’’ she said. 

Among added that KCCA should not only give Kampala a facelift because of expected foreign visitors but also extend the scope across the city to make it safe for Ugandans that live and work there on a daily basis.

 “There is need for KCCA to comprehensively expand the coverage of its road works so as to aid the realisation of the beautiful Kampala that we all aspire for; considering that such roadworks come with inevitable inconveniences to road users, I urge KCCA to expedite their completion to the agreed specifications and within approved available budgetary resources,’’ she added.

Last month, KCCA issued a notice to residents and commuters, urging them to plan their journeys ahead of time as the city authority embarks on the road improvement and drainage system overhaul project.

This follows series of complaints and a social media campaign over the deteriorating road network in Kampala marred by deep potholes and flooding. 

Ms Among pledged the support of the Legislature to ensure Kampala is given a facelift to the desire of city dwellers and visitors.

She also urged the Executive and local authorities to strengthen their physical planning function to ensure sustainable long-term physical planning for public infrastructure in all cities and municipalities.