In the heart of East Africa lies a city that refuses to stand still. Kampala, Uganda’s capital, is as restless as the nation it represents, alive with entrepreneurial hustle, teeming with cultural energy, and weighed down by the contradictions of rapid urbanization. For decades, Kampala’s growth has been both a triumph and a trial: its economy anchors national development, yet its streets choke with traffic; its markets pulse with commerce, yet its waste piles grow uncollected; its political leadership remains contested, yet its people demand services that transcend partisan divides.
It is against this backdrop that the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has launched its Strategic Plan for 2025/26–2029/30, an ambitious roadmap to reinvent the capital as a vibrant, attractive, livable, and sustainable city. Anchored within Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and the government’s 10-Fold Growth Strategy, this plan is more than an administrative document, it is a declaration of intent. It signals a turning point for Kampala’s future, where the challenges of the past five years are converted into lessons for renewal, and where the city aspires to become not only the political capital of Uganda but also a model of African urban resilience.
Learning from the Past: Achievements and Shortfalls: The outgoing Strategic Plan (2020/21–2024/25) offers sobering lessons. According to KCCA’s evaluation, only 35.5 percent of planned results were fully achieved, while nearly a quarter of targets were missed altogether. COVID-19 left a lasting scar: revenues collapsed, project timelines faltered, and citizens’ needs multiplied. Structural issues deepened the wounds; ambitious targets set against inadequate financing, a transition to program-based planning that disrupted implementation cycles, and political rifts that often slowed down decision-making.
"I am glad to note that in developing this plan, various stakeholders in the city were extensively engaged and their inputs shaped the City's priorities over the medium term. The interventions and activities of the City, its budget and the allocation of resources will be guided by and informed by this plan" Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago
Yet, Kampala did not emerge empty-handed. The stock of paved roads grew significantly, from 609 kilometers in 2020/21 to 770 kilometers in 2023/24, surpassing targets and shifting the balance from 31 percent paved network coverage to 37 percent. The city expanded its social service footprint, building new classrooms, rehabilitating markets, and upgrading health centers. These achievements matter, because they demonstrate that even amidst turbulence, progress is possible.
But the story of Kampala’s roads tells a deeper truth. While more kilometers were paved, the quality of existing roads deteriorated due to cuts in road maintenance financing from the Uganda Road Fund. The paradox was stark: more tarmac, but more potholes. This illustrates a recurring problem in Kampala’s governance, investment without sustainability. It is precisely this cycle that the new Strategic Plan aims to break.
A Vision for Transformation: The New Kampala: The Strategic Plan for 2025/26–2029/30 enters with clarity of purpose. Its central goal is to make Kampala well-planned, inclusive, and resilient, captured in the theme “Revitalizing Kampala into a Well-Functioning City.” Unlike past plans, which often overloaded targets, this roadmap prioritizes five interconnected objectives: economic growth, social wellbeing, governance, climate resilience, and institutional excellence.
"The goal of the Strategic Plan is to transform Kampala into “A well planned, inclusive and resilient capital city” under the theme, “Revitalizing Kampala into a well-functioning city”. The plan builds on the progress made, lessons learnt from the planning and implementation experiences of the previous Plans, and also seeks to overcome some of the challenges encountered." Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki
On the surface, these may read like familiar ambitions. Yet beneath them lies a recognition of Kampala’s deeper challenge: the city cannot simply build more; it must build differently. Urban planning is no longer about widening roads alone but about redesigning mobility systems. Waste management is no longer about dumping garbage but about circular economies that recycle and generate revenue. Governance is no longer about central-local tug-of-war but about citizen-centered accountability.
This new thinking reflects global shifts. Across Africa, cities from Kigali to Nairobi are experimenting with integrated planning, smart mobility, and climate-conscious design. Kampala, often derided as lagging behind, now seeks to reposition itself not as a follower but as an innovator in urban resilience.
Infrastructure as the Backbone of Growth: Perhaps the most visible promise of the plan lies in infrastructure. Kampala’s congestion is legendary, traffic jams that swallow hours, drain productivity, and suffocate air quality. Today, the average travel time across city roads stands at 4.2 minutes per kilometer. By 2030, the plan seeks to cut this to 3 minutes per kilometer, a deceptively modest figure that could redefine urban life.
This will require bold projects: 325 kilometers of upgraded roads, 25,000 new streetlights, 80 kilometers of drainage systems, and 103 flood-prone blackspots fixed. A Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line stretching 14.4 kilometers will debut, supported by commuter rail extensions to Port Bell and Kyengera, while groundwork for a Kampala Light Rail System begins in partnership with Uganda Railways. The second phase of the Kampala Flyover project will re-engineer key junctions at Mukwano, Kitgum House, and Oasis Mall, promising relief to the city’s clogged arteries.
If executed, these interventions could change the way Kampala breathes. But infrastructure in Kampala has long been hostage to two obstacles: financing gaps and project overruns. The city’s new approach, pursuing municipal bonds, climate finance, and public-private partnerships, reflects a realization that traditional government transfers are insufficient. The challenge now is whether these innovations can be deployed without replicating the mistakes of debt-heavy projects that haunt other African capitals.
A Cleaner, Greener, More Resilient City: Infrastructure is only part of the story. Kampala’s biggest existential threat is climate resilience. Seasonal flooding, driven by clogged drains and haphazard construction, routinely paralyzes neighborhoods. Air quality has reached crisis levels, with average pollution at 40 micrograms per cubic meter, nearly double WHO thresholds. Solid waste management remains fragile, with only 55 percent of waste collected and almost none recycled.
The Strategic Plan boldly commits to change this narrative. By 2030, Kampala aims to line 47 percent of its drainage channels, cut air pollution to 25 micrograms, and recycle up to 30 percent of its waste. The notorious Kiteezi landfill will finally be decommissioned, replaced by a modern waste treatment facility at Buyala, supported by 30 new garbage trucks and investments in recycling infrastructure. For the first time, Kampala explicitly places the circular economy at the center of its waste strategy.
This is not only an environmental imperative, it is an economic one. Waste-to-energy projects, recycling industries, and green public spaces can create jobs, attract investment, and enhance livability. In an era where climate finance is increasingly available, Kampala’s green ambitions could unlock new global partnerships and funding streams
Human Capital at the Core: Cities thrive not on roads and drains alone, but on people. Kampala’s Strategic Plan recognizes this, placing education, health, and livelihoods at the center of its agenda. By 2030, KCCA schools are expected to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio from 61:1 to 30:1, while literacy and numeracy rates will rise to 95 and 85 percent respectively. Health facilities such as Kisenyi, Komamboga, and Kisugu will be upgraded to hospital status, targeting reductions in maternal mortality (from 213 per 100,000 live births to 180) and infant mortality (from 33 to 28).
Markets-long the lifeblood of Kampala’s informal economy, will also see transformation. New facilities in Kamwokya, Ggaba, Usafi, and Kitintale will provide safer, more organized spaces for vendors and artisans, while Busega Market will expand into newly acquired land. Altogether, the plan envisions 10,000 new workspaces, giving micro and small enterprises a stronger foothold.
These investments speak to Kampala’s most urgent reality: nearly 70 percent of its economy thrives in the informal sector. Unless this vast workforce is supported with decent facilities and opportunities, the city’s growth will remain exclusionary. The plan’s human-centered interventions are thus not social add-ons but economic imperatives.
Governance and the Politics of Urban Transformation: No plan for Kampala can ignore politics. The city’s governance has long been a theater of conflict between the ruling government and opposition-led city leadership. Kampala’s Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, and the new Executive Director, Sharifah Buzeki, inherit not just administrative duties but a legacy of mistrust between City Hall and central government.
The new Strategic Plan attempts to transcend these divides by embedding governance reforms: strengthening oversight, improving budget credibility, and adopting service delivery standards to depoliticize accountability. Citizen satisfaction, currently at 48.3 percent, is targeted to reach 83 percent by 2030, a bold aspiration that will test the credibility of the institution.
The political dimension cannot be dismissed as a distraction. Without consensus between political actors, even the best-laid infrastructure blueprints will stall. Kampala’s transformation is thus as much a political project as it is a technical one.
Financing the Dream: At UGX 11.97 trillion, the Strategic Plan is ambitious. Skeptics may ask: where will the money come from? While central government transfers remain the backbone, KCCA acknowledges fiscal constraints and is turning to innovative financing—municipal bonds, climate finance, public-private partnerships, and carbon credits.
If successful, Kampala could pioneer a new model of urban financing in Uganda, one less dependent on national budgets and more aligned with global investment flows. But this requires robust governance, transparency, and accountability, areas where the city has historically struggled. The credibility of the financing model may thus be as important as the projects it seeks to fund.
The Stakes: What if Kampala Fails?
The implications of this plan stretch far beyond the city’s borders. Kampala generates more than 40 percent of Uganda’s GDP, making its performance central to national growth. If the capital remains mired in traffic, floods, waste, and political wrangling, Uganda’s broader development agenda will stall. But if the city can deliver on its promises, cutting travel times, greening its economy, empowering its citizens, it could become the beating heart of Uganda’s 10-Fold Growth Strategy.The stakes are not just economic. Kampala’s transformation carries symbolic weight. For a generation of Ugandans, especially youth, the city represents opportunity, or its absence. A modern, well-functioning Kampala would signal that Uganda is ready to compete regionally and globally, while a stagnant city would reinforce narratives of dysfunction.
The Kampala Capital City Strategic Plan 2025/26–2029/30 is both a promise and a test. It promises a cleaner, faster, more inclusive city, built on the principles of resilience and citizen-centered governance. But it also tests the capacity of institutions, the will of political leaders, and the trust of citizens.
If successful, Kampala could join the ranks of African capitals redefined by vision, transforming from a city of potholes and political fights into one of innovation and livability. If it fails, the consequences will ripple far beyond its boundaries, dragging Uganda’s development ambitions with it.
For now, Kampala stands at the crossroads. Its people are watching, its leaders are challenged, and its future is being written in the asphalt of new roads, the classrooms of KCCA schools, and the very air its citizens breathe.
Summary of The Flagship Projects – Strategic Cycle 2025/26 – 2029/30
i. Upgrading and reconstruction of 325 Km of city roads (including completion of key projects such as KCRRP, GKMA-UDP, KCR&BUP, PIM PLUS and road projects under GOU funding), installation of 25,000 street lights, construction of 66.9Km of primary and secondary drainage channels and 103 drainage blackspots and road crossings.
ii. Implementation of the Kampala Bus Rapid Transit project starting with 14.4Km; extension of the commuter rail to Port bell and Kyengera and completion of the feasibility study and designs for the Kampala Light Rail system in partnership with Uganda Railways Corporation; and construction of 10Km of dedicated Non-Motorized transport lanes.
iii. Construction of phase 2 of the Kampala flyover project (Mukwano, Kitgum House & Oasis Mall Roundabouts) including signalization of 25 junctions.
iv. Decommission and repurposing of Kiteezi landfill, construction operationalization of the new waste treatment facility at Buyala and purchase o new garbage trucks.
v. Increasing Non-tax revenue collections from UGX 114.3 Billion in FY2023/2 UGX 165.55 Billion.
vi. Construction of markets including Kamwokya, Ggaba & USAFI markets under GKMA-UDP project. Completion of Kitintale market. Preparation of design feasibility study for Kisekka market. Procure land adjacent to Busega Marke
vii. School infrastructure development including construction of 24 classroo rehabilitation of teachers’ houses
viii. Completion of Philip Omondi Stadium and development of school and commu sports facilities.
ix. Redevelopment of administrative buildings and service centers including Cent Division, Nakawa Division, Stores at Mabua road, the KCCA mechanical yard a Records center on 6th Street.
