Masaka City leaders unveil 100-day plan

The interim Masaka City administration has unveiled a plan of what they intend to achieve in the first 100 days.

Masaka is among seven municipalities that became cities effective July 1.This implies the interim city administration has been in office for 16 days.

The Masaka City clerk, Mr John Behangane, said they have already laid down strategies to change the face of Masaka to suit the new status.

“After declaring Masaka a city, we sat collectively as leaders; both technical and political and designed our 100-day plan for this new city,” he said during an interview on Tuesday.

Some of the areas the city authorities want to prioritise include improving roads in annexed areas to first class gravel roads, and planting more than 2,000 trees in all road reserves and parts of new Nyendo/ Mukungwe Municipality.

Mr Behangane said they are currently reviewing the designs for the new city which they will soon share with all landlords and residents in Masaka City.

The Masaka City interim mayor, Mr Godfrey Kayemba, told Daily Monitor that in their 100-day plan, they want to light the entire city with solar-powered lights.

“We also plan to build a monument at the main gateway to Masaka City as other new cities have already erected big billboards at various entry and exit points,” he said.

Mr Kayemba revealed that all landlords in the city are going to be tasked to put concrete pavers at entrances of their buildings as one way of eliminating dust in the city.

“Those with buildings which have spent more than five years under construction will be asked to complete them or else they will be advised to find partners to develop the plots.

“All landlords will be required to renovate all dilapidated buildings and repaint other buildings to bring out a true face of the city.” He added

However, Mr Afaayo said to make all this happen, they need all the necessary support from government and other stakeholders.

Mr Dungu Tabula, the ruling chairperson in Kimaanya – Kyabakuza Municipality said city authorities should emphasise cleanliness in the first 100 days.

“In the first three months, the interim leadership should designate a specific day every month to conduct general cleaning, bulungu bwansi and on that day people should not open shops, offices and other places of work until the exercise is complete,” he said.
Mr Vincent Zziwa Kasumba, the chairperson of Masaka Traders Association, said: “ Our leaders should redesign the city logo to suit the human economic activities carried out in Masaka. ”

Mr Swaibu Makumbi, a social rights activists in Masaka, said the new city leadership should consider putting in place a mayors’ garden, children’s park, a modern bus terminal and a City Hall because they are key facilities.

More issues
The city has only six public toilets, some of which were erected before independence and in the 60s and are currently in a sorry state.

It also lacks a standard landfill where waste is dumped.

Information emerged recently that Masaka City authorities were in advanced stages of allocating 20 acres of land, which had been purchased for the landfill to a private developer to set up a modern recreation centre.