The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The European Union (EU) has joined local initiatives to promote emission-free mobility as part of efforts to transform Kampala into a greener, smarter city. In partnership with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the EU Delegation in Uganda is encouraging more Ugandans to adopt bicycling as an alternative to fuel-powered transportation, such as motorcycles and cars.
The delegation took advantage of the Kampala Cycling Week to boost their Green Diplomacy Week, in conjunction with eBee, an e-mobility company specialising is the supply and promotion of electric bicycles and cycling as a form of transport. Jan Sadek, the European Union Ambassador to Uganda said they were using the events to show how bicycles are a good mode of transportation, not only by keeping the user fit but also by avoiding air pollution.
Cycling and jogging are increasingly becoming not only a source of leisure and recreation, but more people are adopting them for transport to and from work. They have become more popular since the outbreak of COVID-19 more than four years ago, boosted by the restrictions on vehicle movement by the government and the subsequent high inflation that made motorized transport very expensive.
Ambassador Sadek says more use of bicycles will also help decongest the city that suffers long traffic snarl-ups. The activities involved members of the EU Community in Uganda cycling through Kampala from City Hall to Kololo Secondary School, partly to encourage younger people to prefer cycling to boarding motorcycles and buses to and from school.
The EU is working constantly with Uganda to try to improve the use of renewable energy in the country as they do in Europe and around the globe, through various Investments. “One big one is that we want to rehabilitate the Nalubale-Kiira hydropower plant and provide financing for that so that Uganda can produce even more renewable energy,” Sadek says, adding that the Green Diplomacy Week is just one of the many initiatives.
He notes the need to push the authorities to try to have more bicycle lanes and safer bicycling in Kampala, as well as walking infrastructure so that many more people can use “this fantastic means of transportation” instead of cars, which pollute and congest traffic and streets.
Frank Nyakaana Rusa, the KCCA Executive Director admitted that the infrastructure in Kampala does not favour bicycling and that a lot needed to be done.
Justus Akankwasa, KCCA Director for Engineering says in their new road projects they are taking walking and cycling provisions seriously, giving examples of the newly made roads in Nakawa-Naguru and Bukoto-Ntinda areas.
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