By Olivia Nabaggala
Kampala’s Capital City Authority (KCCA), has instituted a city roads committee chaired by Nakawa East member of Parliament, Eng. Ronald Balimwezo Nsubuga.
The city roads committee is established under Section 25(2) of the Uganda Road Fund Act 2008, and its role is to provide oversight over road funds allocated to local governments to undertake routine and periodic maintenance of the roads.
The committee is made up of the Lord Mayor, division Mayors, Executive Director, Town Clerks, Director of Engineering, and the area Members of Parliament.
After a closed meeting with the concerned stakeholders that took over 3 hours at city hall this morning, the Lord Mayor confirmed that they anonymously appointed Eng. Ronald Balimwezo to chair this committee.
He called upon the government to boost funds for infrastructural development in the city.
Lukwago says instituting this committee has been delayed because the minister of finance hasn’t spelled out the roles of the roads committee.
He also confirmed that, as the authority, they have received UGX 20.3 billion out of the 24.8 billion they are supposed to get as the authority from the Uganda Road Fund this financial year.
He also clarified that even the $6 billion President Museveni directed the ministry of finance to give to KCCA hasn’t reached the authority accounts.
The chair of the city roads committee, Eng. Ronald Balimwezo Nsubuga, promised to lobby in parliament to ensure that roads in the city are maintained to look better.
He also noted that out of the 2110 km of roads in the city, 30% are tarmac and the rest are marram, and out of them, 70% have outlived the design line and therefore need to be revamped.
The Executive Director of the Kampala Capital City Authority, Dorothy Kisaka, welcomed the constituted committee since it will oversee the seasonal maintenance of roads.
She adds that the Uganda Road Fund gives KCCA funds to maintain them, so this committee will monitor their roads.
Meanwhile, Lukwago also clarified that the Road Act 2019 gives powers to the Lord Mayor to chair the roads authority committee, and they are to sit on Monday and harmonize the operations of these two committees with the view of addressing the situation in the city.