KCCA seeks Shs11bn for slums upgrade

Parliament’s Committee on Presidential Affairs has called on government to provide an additional Shs11.6 billion in next financial year’s budget to support Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) upgrade slums.

Legislators are concerned that despite the mushrooming slums in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, only Shs0.5 billion has been earmarked for slums upgrade in the proposed budget allocations for Financial Year 2022/2023.

The committee chairperson, Hon. Jesca Ababiku, while presenting the committee report on the Ministerial Policy Statement for Office of the President, Kampala Capital City Authority and Office of the Prime Minister for Financial Year 2022/2023, said it was urgent for government to respond to the mushrooming slums in the city.

“The committee observes that this critical intervention requires Shs12.1 billion but only Shs0.5 billion is provided for the proposed budget allocation resulting into a funding gap of Shs11.6 billion,” Ababiku said told the House during the Tuesday, 19 April 2022 sitting chaired by Speaker Anita Among.

She said the proposed additional funding will assist KCCA to undertake critical feasibility studies in slum upgrading within the greater Kampala metropolitan areas that include Mukono, Wakiso and Mpigi districts.

The committee also wants government to allocate an additional Shs35.7 billion to KCCA to carryout feasibility studies and designs of 15 markets, five incubation centres, innovation centres, three artisan and mini-industrial parks development and three abattoirs in Nsangi, Kajjansi and Mukono.

Ababiku said her committee is concerned that no funds have been provided for these activities in the proposed budget; a reason the committee implores government to consider them in the 2022/2023 budget.

The chairperson also revealed that her committee learned that KCCA is in need of Shs32.88 billion as counterpart funding required for the implementation of a five-year urban development programme from the World Bank.

“The feasibility studies are for strategic roads of 120 km, right of way, the drainage systems, junction signalisation and coordination yet no budgetary allocation has been made for the studies,” said Ababiku.

The committee, therefore, recommended that counterpart funding of Shs 32.88 billion be availed to the Ministry of Kampala Capital City Authority.