Published on 08/04/2025
Members of Parliament have raised alarms over Kampala Capital City Authority’s (KCCA) reliance on external consultants for city road projects.
They warned that this dependency undermines the development of in-house expertise. Without internal capacity, KCCA risks repeating the downfall of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA). The defunct roads agency was absorbed by the Ministry of Works and Transport after similar failures. Lawmakers are urging urgent reforms to avoid history repeating itself.
The concerns were raised during a meeting on April 2, 2025, between Parliament’s Physical Infrastructure Committee and KCCA officials, who had appeared to defend the Authority’s 2025/26 Ministerial Policy Statement.
During the session, Justus Akankwasa, KCCA’s Director of Engineering and Technical Services, revealed that UGX 6.7 billion had been allocated for consultancy services and road designs in the upcoming financial year.
“The city is heavily infested with potholes, and patching is no longer a viable solution. We want to overhaul these areas to last at least the next 15 years,” Akankwasa said. “We’ve allocated UGX 5 billion to upgrade 3.1 kilometers of roads, and to ensure proper supervision and design work, we’ve set aside UGX 6.7 billion for consultants.”
However, MPs questioned the rationale behind hiring consultants despite KCCA employing engineers at the division level.
Kazo County MP Dan Kimosho asked, “Why isn’t KCCA using its in-house technocrats? Is this reliance on consultants due to limited internal manpower, or is it a standard practice? Every project we visited had consultants, yet there were issues like undersized culverts for high-traffic roads. Why are we paying consultants if they aren’t alerting you to such design flaws?”
Akankwasa defended the move, saying, “These road projects are scattered across the city. For value for money, you need someone permanently on-site. A person visiting once a week won’t suffice—things could be buried without your knowledge. That’s why we use consultants for daily supervision and detailed designs.”
Mityana North MP Muhammad Kibedi Nsegumire also weighed in, asking why KCCA continues to hire consultants despite having engineers stationed in each division. “What then is the role of these engineers if they can’t supervise the works?” he asked.
KCCA also disclosed its planned allocations for infrastructure development in FY2025/26, which include UGX 18 billion to complete ongoing road works, UGX 15 billion for drainage works, and UGX 120 billion for new construction covering 19 kilometers of city roads. An additional UGX 5 billion has been earmarked to upgrade 3.1 kilometers of roads.
Health Sector Funding Request
In a separate meeting on April 3, 2025, with Parliament’s Health Committee, KCCA requested an additional UGX 35 billion to construct general hospitals in each of the city’s five divisions. The aim is to improve access to healthcare and decongest referral hospitals.
Dr. Sarah Zalwango, KCCA’s Acting Director of Public Health, told MPs, “Elevating KCCA-managed health facilities to city hospital status will allow us to expand service packages, serve as referral buffers for lower-level units, and reduce congestion at national and regional hospitals.”
Currently, KCCA operates two Health Centre IVs, four Health Centre IIIs, and two Health Centre IIs. However, several of these facilities—including Kisenyi HCIV, Kitebi HCIII, Bukoto HCII and Kisugu HCIII—are constrained by limited land and require expansion.
The Directorate of Public Health and Environment indicated it needs UGX 186.98 billion for effective service delivery in FY2025/26, but has only been allocated UGX 15.31 billion—leaving a funding shortfall of UGX 171.67 billion.
