Efforts to repair roads in Kampala’s central division, spearheaded by the Special Forces Command (SFC), have encountered delays as a result of the Kampala Capital City Authority’s (KCCA) failure to release the necessary funds. The initiative, which began in November last year, was directed by President Museveni in June 2023 under the Kampala City Roads Rehabilitation Project.
Despite the project’s commencement, progress has been hindered by financial constraints. The SFC, tasked with the road repairs, reports that work has stalled due to a lack of funds from KCCA. The repairs were initiated on several roads, including Prince Charles Drive, Lower Terrace, Colo CH Lane, Ssanyu Road, Wilson Road, and Rashid Kamis Road, among others. However, concerns have been raised regarding the state of some sections that were repaired, with some roads deteriorating again.
Speaking on the situation, SFC spokesperson Major Jimmy Dennis Omar explained that they were assigned to repair 64 roads in the city center, focusing on section repairs and filling potholes. However, due to insufficient funding, only half of the designated roads have been worked on thus far.
On the other hand, KCCA has cited budget constraints as the reason for the funding delay. According to Engineer Justice Akasa, the Director for Engineering and Technical Services at KCCA, their desired budget for road maintenance was reduced from 24 billion to 10 billion shillings, making it challenging to allocate sufficient funds for projects like the road repairs.
However, there may be a glimmer of hope as KCCA reveals that they have received an additional 2 billion shillings from the Uganda Road Fund to facilitate the continuation of the road repair work. This funding injection comes as a welcome development, especially considering the urgent need to address the deteriorating road conditions in Kampala.
Despite the funding setback, both the SFC and KCCA affirm their commitment to completing the road repairs.
