Stalled Namirembe non-motorised route leaves city in traffic mess

The delayed completion of Namirembe Road-Luwum Street non-motorised transport (NMT) project has thrown the city into a traffic mess, paralysing movement for both motorists and pedestrians.
In 2018, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) started construction of a non-motorised corridor to provide a safer pathway for pedestrians and cyclists in the city.
The NMT corridor stretches from Berkley (Bakuli) junction through Namirembe Road and Luwum Street and ends on Entebbe Road at former Barclays Bank (now Absa Bank) in the city centre. Sterling construction company is undertaking the works.
While touring the NMT corridor in February last year, KCCA’s acting executive director, Mr Andrew Kitaka, told journalists that the project would be completed before end of 2019. But the entire corridor is now messy; a confusion of both motorists and pedestrians that jam the walkway as they scramble for space on the completed sections of the road, causing traffic gridlock.
When this reporter visited the NMT corridor on Monday, there were no guidelines for traffic flow.
“None of us knows how traffic on this corridor will be handled and the traffic gridlock you are seeing now isn’t about to stop if KCCA doesn’t come up with clear guidelines on usage because majority of motorists are now operating haphazardly,” taxi driver Musa Nshekanabo said.
Ms Elizabeth Nakyanzi, a pedestrian, said: “It doesn’t make sense for us to compete with taxis and motorcycles on the same path yet this corridor was designed for pedestrians and cyclists. Some drivers are reckless and endanger our lives.”
The KCCA acting Director of Engineering and Technical Services, Mr Justus Akankwasa, acknowledges the delay in completion of the corridor, but blames it on the heavy rain between October and December, which halted the works.
“We extended the works but we expect to complete by February. We have also made designs both visuals and papers showing usage of the corridor. Motorists took advantage of the rainy season to create confusion because enforcement was low,” he explained.
Mr Akankwasa says completion of the NMT Pilot project will decongest that part of the city and pioneer wider coverage of the city with more such routes to create inclusive access to all parts of the city by cyclists and pedestrians.
He said KCCA intends to convert more streets in Kampala into non-motorised routes in order to reduce congestion and vehicle pollution.
But business owners are wary they will lose clients due to the conversion of the road into a non-motorised way.
However, Mr Akankwasa allayed their fears, saying the new corridor will instead enhance their businesses.
“The corridor will enhance their business through reduction of congestion, improved safety and security for all and create easier access to the area for pedestrians,” he said. “In addition, walking and cycling are beneficial to the population and have been proved to be an effective control of non-communicable diseases,” he added.

Expected outcomes

The Multi-Modal Transport master plan for Greater Kampala recommends the development of a comfortable, wide and safe NMT connecting all parts of Greater Kampala. Such connectivity, the report states, shall encourage the population to walk and cycle on a daily basis unhindered.
The master plan indicates that the optimal NMT corridor project, once implemented, will have a combination of improved transport models, including segregated and well-marked paths for cyclists and pedestrians.
Research findings captured in the master plan indicates that walking currently accounts for 46 per cent of the trips above 1km in Greater Kampala while cycling accounts for only 2 per cent.
The findings also indicate that more than 2.5 million non-motorised transport trips are performed daily in the metropolitan area and that the number of trips is expected to increase to a staggering eight million daily by the year 2040.
The transport master plan, which was compiled in 2018, is yet to be officially launched.