KCCA To Add 35,000 Traffic Lights In Kampala

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has revealed that plans to acquire a £77 million funding from the French Development Agency after the Government of Uganda clearance are underway.

According to the Ag Director, Directorate of Engineering and Technical Services at KCCA, Justus Akankwasa, KCCA will through this project increase street lighting in Kampala from 8% to 100%.

“A total of 35,000 lights will be installed. The £70 million is a loan whereas 7 million is a grant from the European Union,” Akankwasa revealed. He revealed that they have received some funding.

The Authority also hopes to renew 270 Kilometres of old roads that have outlived their design life, construction of 4 flyover bridges for pedestrians and one key bridge for vehicles under the USD 250 million-UK supported Kampala City Annuity Roads and Bridges Project.

This, Akankwasa said as he updated the public on KCCA’s emphasis to spur economic growth in Kampala through improving urban mobility and connectivity.

To date, KCCA has 646 kilometres of un-tarmacked roads which are wide, some with double lanes in each direction, walkways, street lighting and road signs to guide motorists and pedestrians.

The city still has about 1,464 kilometres of un-tarmacked roads. To counter this, Akankwasa revealed that the Authority is working with the Government and development partners to create an efficient road network and drainage channels in Kampala.

“The Government of Uganda signed a loan agreement amounting to US$ 175 million to fund the second Kampala Institutional & Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP2) that is being implemented by KCCA,” Akankwasa said.

He added that the Government provided US$ 12 million for compensating property owners along the roads and drainage sites under construction.

With several roads completed and some to be completed by November 2021, Akankwasa further revealed that a number of roads are to be rehabilitated under the Kampala City Road rehabilitation Project.

Some of these will be reconstructed, upgraded to paved, and others will be widened and junctions signalised.

Akankwasa stated that the Greater Kampala Urban Development Program worth UGX 917 Billion is expected to start in 2022 and last for a period of five years.

“The project will focus on: mobility, accessibility and connectivity, disaster risk management and resilience, jobs and employment generation, institutional support and systems development, and upgrading and low-cost housing,” Akankwasa revealed.

Uganda received a grant worth 89 Billion from the Government of Japan which is intended to improve 30 junctions from uncontrolled to signalised.

This includes the construction of a traffic control center to enable KCCA to manage traffic in the city. The implementation of this project is in advanced stages and the project is expected to start in January 2022.

As KCCA strives toward the City’s infrastructural development, Akankwasa implored the public to keep drainages clean by avoiding dumping rubbish in the channels and report people who steal or vandalise city infrastructure to the security forces.