Researchers from Makerere University and officials from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development have called on the government to integrate land use and transport planning if we are to develop the urban centres around the city.

Speaking at a public dialoague, researchers noted that there was need to decongest the city and also demarcate Kampala City boundaries. “The city is expanding yet the planning is stagnating,” Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, the Principal of the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) said.

Dr Wilson Kayom, an official from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development said there was need to be concerned about the unprecedented population growth of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.   

Other challenges affecting the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) include the development of slum cells, congestions on the roads and building and unplanned development.

Lack of proper transport system is affecting health of the population, the ecological system, and an acceptable urban environment for the residents of Kampala

Traffic congestion has for years been a big problem in Kampala. A typical urban road in Kampala is a single carriageway, about 4 meters wide, designed as a two-way road with each side carrying traffic in opposite direction.

The city, Dr Kayom said is affected by the unregulated taxi operations, the many Taxi parks/stages in the Central Business District (CBD), lack of separate walkways for pedestrians, lack of organized pedestrian crossings, Illegal parking along the main streets and Lack of enough traffic signals.

According to research, traffic jam costs Uganda over US$800m (over sh2.8trillion) in lost GDP annually. The country also loses 10 people per day in road accidents, according the traffic report, the highest in East Africa.

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