Munkono, Uganda
Corruption within the local government continues to stifle Mukono municipality’s infrastructure growth.
This is according to the recently released situation analysis report by Gipea Africa Limited.
The report unveils a troubling landscape, where the aspirations of a rapidly urbanising community are being crushed under the weight of mismanagement and self-interest among the technical staff.
This analysis paints a grim picture, revealing how unchecked corruption is not just a barrier to progress but a catalyst for the deterioration of a community struggling to rise.
The report deeply explains the chaos caused by unplanned urbanisation, exposing a web of challenges that threaten the very fabric of Mukono mucipality’s future.
From illegal land divisions to traffic jams that block the town’s main roads, Mukono is struggling with the problems caused by uncontrolled growth.
The health of the population is deteriorating, and the environment is bearing the brunt of this unchecked expansion.
The report’s findings are a key eye-opener and a reminder of the urgent need for intervention, especially as 31 percent of the plots in the area lack vehicular access, hindering critical services like fire rescue and medical emergencies.
Many households in the area don’t have the necessary ownership documents or titles required for the council to approve building plans.
Recently, Stephen Ndegeya, the Senior Staff Surveyor at MZO-Mukono, shared that for the past two years, all land transactions in the municipality have been on hold due to fraudulent land dealings.
This means that land sales and purchases have stopped, and the council isn’t approving any new construction plans because all titles are currently invalid until the fraud issues are resolved.
However, the planning department has been allowing illegal construction on disputed land and in protected areas since they can’t verify who owns the land.
The situation report also highlights that the municipality is struggling with severe flooding because of the lack of proper drainage systems, encroachment on wetlands, poorly designed roads, and the effects of climate change.
The areas most affected by the flooding include Namanve, Sonde, Kame Valley, Kirangira, Lower Nabuti, Mulago, and Butebe.
Wetlands in the area, mainly those near rivers, cover 2,118.25 hectares, but they are all being encroached upon due to rapid urban growth, expanding agriculture, industrialisation (like in Namanve Industrial Park), and poor waste management.
Wetlands in Mukono Municipality, such as Lwajali, Nyogezi, Kayobe, Zirimiti, Bumbubumbu, Nakawolole, Kame, Nyanja, Kifu, Nakiyanja, Nsomere, Kitale, and Kolo, have faced significant encroachment, leading to serious environmental problems.
This encroachment has resulted in changes in land use, increased flooding, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and siltation.
For example, data from Gipea shows that in 1994, the Lwajali wetland covered 675.838 hectares, but now only 290.536 hectares remain. Similarly, Nakiyanja wetland has shrunk from 928.769 hectares to just 392.952 hectares.
Mukono Municipality also has forest reserves like Namwoya, Nyenje, Nsuube, and Kifu, but these areas are being heavily encroached upon.
Activities such as farming, deforestation for timber and charcoal, human settlements, infrastructure, and industrial development are major contributors to this encroachment.
The most severe encroachment has occurred in areas like Namanve, Njogezi, Namilyango, and Ssonde.
As a result, the municipality is facing serious challenges, including vegetation loss, which has led to an increase in greenhouse gases, worsening air quality, higher temperatures, flooding, and the destruction of wildlife habitats.
Humphry Kyasa, the Goma LC3 Chairperson, is deeply concerned that municipal authorities and other government agencies are approving developments in protected areas without physically inspecting these locations.
He pointed out that the forests being encroached upon have not been officially degazetted, emphasising that if the proper procedures were followed, new forests would be established to continue environmental preservation.
The status report on the institutional and governance structure of the municipality reveals that despite having qualified staff, the municipality faces significant challenges, including issues with accountability, transparency, a lack of creativity and innovation, poor lobbying skills, and insufficient office space, furniture, tools, and equipment to perform their duties effectively.
Town Clerk Francis Byabagambi has often blamed these challenges on a lack of funding for monitoring and community education, as well as insufficient transport and staffing, particularly in the planning department, to enforce regulations.
The report also highlights a high incidence of staff misconduct, including assisted defaulting and embezzlement. It notes that “corruption and bribery are rampant, with staff often compromised.”
While presenting the report during the physical planning review meeting for the Kampala Metropolitan Area Integrated Urban Development Master Plan for Mukono Municipality, Joseph Ssemambo, Managing Director of Gipea Africa Limited, emphasised that uncoordinated development negatively impacts the country’s economy.
“All the problems in Mukono are solvable, but the issue is that people don’t even realise they have a problem. Once they understand that poorly planned construction, environmental destruction, and improper waste disposal are issues, we can start making progress. As we continue drafting the Physical Development Plan (PDP), we will also keep educating the community,” he stated,
The government is committed to ensuring orderly, progressive, and sustainable development in both urban and rural areas, as part of the national agenda outlined in Uganda Vision 2040 and the Third National Development Plan (NDP III).
Kabuye Kyofatogabye, the State Minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, noted that the World Bank, through the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Program, has supported Mukono Municipal Council in preparing the Physical Development Plan and detailed local plans for the GKMA Infrastructure Corridor Phase I in the municipality.
The primary objective is to create a spatial framework that unifies all current plans and interventions while anticipating future needs. This framework will consider the interests of all key stakeholders in Mukono Municipality and its neighbouring municipalities within the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA).
Fatumah Ndisaba Nabitaka expresses optimism that once the Physical Development Plan is finalised and put into action, Mukono will transform into a more livable area, benefiting the business community, and schools, and reducing pollution. For instance, factories in Namanve will establish proper drainage systems to alleviate flooding along the country’s major highways.
Ndisaba also addresses initial misconceptions about the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Program (GKMAUDP).
She notes that at first, people thought GKMA UDP aimed to bring Mukono under Kampala’s jurisdiction, with taxes imposed by KCCA.
“However, now that everyone is on board and the mindset has changed, we anticipate Mukono reaching city status, a well-organised place without garbage, with planned buildings, places of worship, and controlled pollution.”
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