Excitement over proposed new cities

In about a year, Mbarara, Gulu, Fort Portal, Arua and Jinja could be cities if a proposal by the local government is anything to go by.

Kampala, Uganda | The Independent | The government is also planning to upgrade Hoima and Mbale into city status by election year 2021. “We have set aside a budget of Shs130b to operationalise the cities, with the first lot starting operations in July 2020,” Col Tom Butime, the minister of Local Government, said. Later municipalities like Lira and Entebbe will join the lot in what looks like a very ambitious project.

Col Butime said the targeted municipalities meet all the minimum requirements to be elevated to a city status, and will be upgraded in phases. Butime told a press briefing that the ministry of local government is now developing guidelines for the operations of the approved cities.

The guidelines will help in running the administration of the cities. He added that the concentration of development in Kampala has exerted pressure on its infrastructure leading to the growth of slums.

The development is part of government’s plan to implement Vision 2040 by addressing urbanisation challenges.

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