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1. Govt has acquired USD. 288M for Kampala roads, which will commence February 2023 and cover 69.7km spread out in the five divisions. They will be wider, include drainages, walkways, and street lights.
2. Kampala city road network is 2,110km of which 668km is paved and 1,442km is unpaved.
3. Of the paved network, 360km in Kampala are over 35 years old and have been patched and repaired too many times. Experts say that, on average, a good paved road is expected to last 15 – 20 years before reconstruction. The 360km road network needs overhauling, they have outlived their lifetime.
4. Reconstruction, overhauling and road upgrading needs to be done in phases. A strategy of overhauling at least 50km every year would require approximately UGX 375 Bn per year to be able to redeem the dead roads. That way, we can be sure that in seven years, the old roads will be done away with.
5. KCCA currently receives only 26 billion per year to maintain the roads. The increased car load on our roads is significant increasing the wear and tear. An average of UGX 100 billion per year to maintain the roads in a motorable condition is what we estimate. This includes management of street lights, traffic lights, road safety, and walkways.
6. The poor waste disposal practices over strain our roads. Residents throw polythene and organic food into drainages, and they get blocked. The drainages are not wide enough to carry large volumes of rain water. Construction in wetlands ruined waterways.
7. The KCCA annual consumptive budget cannot build the infrastructure.The focused strategic approach to overhauling the city old roads in a phased approach and a quarterly release for maintaining those that can’t be overhauled is the solution.