The National Planning Authority (NPA) has warned that Kampala’s unplanned development is draining the economy and called for a comprehensive infrastructure overhaul to restore order in the city.
Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Lands on Wednesday, Executive Director Dr. Joseph Muvawala said the capital’s physical plan can be improved but admitted that disorganized growth poses a major obstacle.
“We have to ensure that there are adequate resources for the new 10 cities countrywide, accompanied by detailed physical plans, then we can come back and re-organise Kampala City,” Dr. Muvawala told MPs.
He revealed that Uganda loses an estimated four percent of its Gross Domestic Product annually to traffic congestion, describing development without physical planning as “expensive and painful.”
Dr. Muvawala stressed the importance of integrated planning, noting that NPA should lead in preparing national and regional physical plans, while the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development enforces regulations, and local governments supervise implementation at district level.
“Physical planning does not work with politics. Sometimes we hide behind politics to do wrong things. Politics is not our problem, our problem is enforcement. We have good plans but we do not enforce them,” he said.
His remarks came after MPs expressed concern over the deteriorating state of Kampala’s infrastructure.
“The country is a mess right now. Can this wrong be undone? What can we do to improve with minimal impact on what is existing? Give us a better approach,” said Andrew Ojok, the committee deputy chairperson.
Pallisa District Woman Representative, Kevin Kaala, questioned whether Kampala still has a future under the current state of disorder.
“Is there a future for this city? Can Kampala be re-planned based on what is happening?” she asked.
Dennis Nyangweso (Indep., Samia Bugwe Central County) advised NPA to benchmark from neighboring countries with better planning models.
“Have you researched on how neighbouring countries like Rwanda are succeeding in physical planning? We need to know what they are doing so that we can borrow a leaf,” Nyangweso said.
Beyond planning challenges, Dr. Muvawala urged Parliament to fast-track the proposed Valuation Bill to standardize land valuation and curb inflated prices. He warned that irregular land compensation practices have increased project costs, fueled conflicts, and delayed public works.
“This has resulted in inflated costs of land and hence increasing the cost, land conflicts and disputes, court injunctions leading to stalling of projects and completion time of public development projects,” he said.
He further cautioned against land hoarding, saying it undermines productivity.
“We should encourage land owners to rent out this land without fear of losing it,” he added.
