Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has unveiled its 2025/26-2029/30 Strategic Plan, projecting that the city will require more than Shs 4 trillion for roads, drainage, flyovers, and transport retooling to ease congestion and flooding.
The new plan builds on the outcomes of the 2020/21-2024/25 strategy, which sought to make Kampala more inclusive, livable, and resilient. While the outgoing plan registered progress, including an increase in paved city roads from 31 percent in 2017/18 to 37 percent by 2023/24, it faced setbacks such as underfunding, the Covid-19 pandemic, and delays in implementation.
An internal review showed that only 35.5 percent of targets were fully achieved, while 25 percent were not met at all. Persistent flooding, poor drainage, and road maintenance gaps remained unresolved.
Against this background, the new five-year plan prioritizes infrastructure. Major interventions include the Kampala City Drainage Improvement Project (KCDIP) worth Shs 447.6 billion to upgrade 80 kilometers of channels and tackle 103 flood blackspots, and the Kampala Flyover Project Phase 2 valued at Shs 337.2 billion to decongest key junctions. In addition, Shs 1.568 trillion has been earmarked for the Kampala City Roads Rehabilitation Project Phase 2 to expand road works and introduce Bus Rapid Transit corridors, while Shs 63.3 billion will support retooling and maintenance.
KCCA manages more than 2,100 kilometers of roads, but only about 770 kilometers are paved, and many of these are in fair to poor condition.
To address this, KCCA has signed deals and launched projects such as the Kampala City Roads and Bridges Upgrading Project (KCRBUP) and the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Program (GKMA-UDP) to improve connectivity, upgrade infrastructure, and repair potholes.
Speaking at the launch of the strategic plan in Kampala yesterday, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago acknowledged that the city still grapples with serious challenges, including underfunding, traffic congestion, flooding, poor waste management, and overstretched social services.
‘The plan, however, lays out bold interventions to address these bottlenecks and put Kampala on track to becoming a well-planned, inclusive, and resilient capital,’ he said.
Mr Lukwago added that an evaluation of the outgoing plan revealed that less than half of the targets were achieved, with progress hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, limited financing, and what officials described as ‘ambitious’ target setting.
‘For instance, while the paved road network expanded from 31 percent to 37 percent, many city roads deteriorated due to insufficient maintenance funds, and flooding in major blackspots remained unresolved,’ he said. ‘The plans are overdue, and therefore we have reflected on our journey, including where we fell short, to ensure we do not repeat the same mistakes.’
KCCA Executive Director Hajati Sharifah Buzeki said the new strategy is designed to align priorities with clear instruments that drive progress and hold the institution accountable to city residents.
‘The new plan, themed Revitalizing Kampala into a Well-Functioning City, identifies five priority objectives: improving economic growth, enhancing inclusiveness and wellbeing, strengthening governance, mainstreaming climate resilience, and building institutional capacity, which we think will be our driver to better service delivery,’ she said.
She noted that the plan was developed through evidence-based planning, rigorous reflection, and broad stakeholder engagement. ‘The next five years mark a deliberate shift towards revitalising Kampala into a well-planned city, with a stronger emphasis on resilience, efficiency, and inclusive growth,’ she added.
According to Ms Buzeki, the plan also incorporates lessons from the outgoing strategy, which achieved 35 percent of its targets, while 7.5 percent of interventions lacked data for assessment.
‘The results were below average, and while we acknowledge disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic, leadership transitions, and underfunding, we take full responsibility for setting more ambitious and realistic targets this time,’ she said.
‘This strategic plan has been designed not only as a technical document but as a social contract with the people of Kampala. With transparency, accountability, innovation, and citizen participation, we are determined to turn these commitments into tangible results.’
Key highlights of the new plan include transport and mobility, drainage and flood management, urban planning, education improvements in KCCA schools, reducing maternal mortality from 33 to 28 deaths per 100,000 live births, business and employment, among others.
KCCA’s earlier strategic plans, including the 2014/15-2018/19 strategy aligned with Uganda Vision 2040 and the GKMA Development Framework, focused on transport infrastructure, drainage systems, social services, and institutional strengthening.
The subsequent 2020/21-2024/25 plan, valued at about Shs 7 trillion, prioritized road rehabilitation, non-motorized transport, drainage upgrades, waste management, and recycling. While some achievements were registered, funding shortfalls and the pandemic slowed implementation.