EFFORTS TO FACELIFT KASOKOSO:STANDARD SIGN KASOKOSO MUTUNGO RD UPGRADED TO BITUMEN STANDARDS
EFFORTS TO FACELIFT KASOKOSO: STANDARD SIGN KASOKOSO MUTUNGO RD UPGRADED TO BITUMEN STANDARDS
Kira Municipal Council has embarked on the efforts to facelift the image of Kasokoso for the transformation of the social aspects slum dwellers. This follows the recent installation of solar powered streets in some parts of Kasokoso such as Kiganda, Beach Street, Kabala’s Wellspring and Kasokoso Trading Centre among others. Kasokoso area in Namugongo Division is one of the densely populated area with all the features of a slum making the living standards of the people poor.
With poor housing mushrooming in the area without approved plans Kasokoso despite being near Kampala the Capital City of the country has been one of the area in Kira Municipality with the poorest road network attributed to land matters among others.
His Worship Julius Mutebi Nsubuga the Mayor Kira Municpal Council says that the area experienced rapid settlement and unplanned housing due to lack of a proper Physical Development Plan and the National land policy which gives much powers to the private land owners whereby the owners chopped the land in small plots enough for just two rooms with no reserve spaces.
Juius Mutebi Nsubuga says that it’s true that there is unanswered question about Kasokoso land matters but as leaders they cannot exclude the area from the Municipal plans as far as service delivery is concerned.
“As council we do not have to force anyone to leave Kasokoso or any slum area around; first of all we do not have where to relocate them and so the best option would be to compensate them and we do a proper planning say for public utilities such as roads, water and drainage systems, markets. Public schools and health facilities among others but in our financial status we cannot afford and therefore the only option now is to negotiate with the communities to surrender spaces so that we can extend there the necessary services we can such as street lights for security, extension of safe and clean water and make good roads among others services which affect the day to day lives of our people. Once that is done then the market forces of demand and supply will determine who to leave and who to stay (willing buyer and willing seller) just as it was in Kisenyi and Katanga in Kampala which used to be the major slums in the country and today its commercial building mushrooming around. We believe that at that level those who will stay shall have no option but to adhere to the existing Municipal Physical Development plan and we shall see the new face of Kasokoso” Mutebi stretched.
Mr. Benon Yiga the Municipal Town Clerk says that Kira is the most developing Municipality in Uganda absorbing a number of Kampala’s development challenges. “ Most of the people especially the low income earners working in Kampala are sleeping in areas such as Kasokoso due to their nearness to the city and cheaper housing facilities as compared and so it remains the Municipal’s responsibility that we provide them with the same services similar to those of Nalya, Namugongo and Najjera among others despite the fact that when it comes to local taxes such as property rates, planning fees among others (which we use to implement such developments)what is collected from there cannot do anything reasonable as compared to the costs of development”
Engineer James Joloba the Municipal Executive Engineer says that using Force Account the coasts of road construction would be less but getting the necessary width for a standard road becomes a challenge due to the people who construct buildings without following proper physical planning.
“In a proper physical development planning when someone is building there is a recommended space supposed to be left out for public utilities such as roads, electricity and water but in slums like Kasokoso many people built at night without approved plans and demolishing them will involve much in terms of compensation and or can lead to violence thus delaying development” says Eng.Joloba.
“For the case of Standard Sign Kasokoso Mutungo road which is the main link connecting Kireka to Mutongo (Nakawa Division) through Kasokoso we are going to work on it using low cost sealing in phases with funding from the Uganda Road Fund ensuring that there is a drainage channel. Being urban with expectations of heavy traffic flow a standard road should/would have been wide enough with a green belt, parking space in some parts, a walkway, street lights and a drainage channel but we cannot stretch beyond the resource envelope” added Eng. Joloba.
The ground works for phase one has so far started expected to take a period of three month other factors remaining constant.#