On the challenges and prospects of Arua City
On July 1, my hometown acquired city status and is now one of the seven new cities of Uganda. The others being Gulu, Fort Portal, Jinja, Masaka, Mbale and Mbarara.
The birth of Arua City was received with jubilation and great expectations by the people of West Nile, eastern DR Congo and South Sudan. One wonders whether the dreams, hopes and aspirations of wananchi about Arua City will ever be realised.
On April 28, Parliament approved the creation of 15 new cities in accordance with Article 179 of the Constitution. Prior to that, on December 3, 2019, then minister of Local Government, Mr Tom Butime, explained that in line with Local Governments Act, a city is the equivalent of a district and a city council has powers and performs duties of a district.
The creation of new cities is consistent with Uganda’s Vision 2040 blueprint. It’s hoped that the seven new cities will accelerate the pace of urbanisation and economic development in Uganda.
What is a city?
There are many definitions of the word city, but generally a city is a large, important and densely populated human settlement with clearly defined administrative boundaries. Another definition is that a city is a town which has been given royal charter by a monarch, king or queen, and has a Cathedral. In the UK, “The City” refers to the Central Business District of London.
My favourite cities of the world include Toronto, New York, Tokyo, Vienna, Milan, Brussels, Melbourne, Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, Pretoria and Nairobi.
City of God is the title of a popular church hymn, and a book by St Augustine which is a recommended textbook for students of political science and theology.
Most cities typically have public spaces or green belts where people can go and relax, such as Central Park of New York City which is bigger in size than Arua Municipality.
Toronto’s main avenue, Yonge Street, is longer than the road from Kampala to Lugazi. Tokyo is bigger than Toronto, but it’s so clean and orderly that Kampala has no excuse whatsoever to be so filthy and chaotic.
The theme selected by the Arua City inaugural committee for the historic occasion is, “Working towards the common goal of achieving smart and sustainable city development” which is pertinent and consistent with the Arua Physical Development Plan (2015-2025) prepared five years ago with assistance from Habitat: UN Centre for Human Settlements, Nairobi, Kenya.
I urge the relevant Arua City authorities to make every effort to ensure the new city is developed according to plan, not haphazardly, so that Arua does not become a glorified slum like many African cities.
In order to be a smart and sustainable city, Arua needs competent, dedicated, efficient, incorruptible and hardworking leadership.
Arua City has enormous potential as a regional hub for trade and industry. Concerted efforts to realise Arua’s potential requires unity of purpose and a clear programme of action which enjoys full support of wananchi and the local business community.
I would like to appeal to friends and development partners of West Nile, notably Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Japan, UK, USA and the UN, to support the commendable efforts of Arua City administration to translate into reality the aspirations, dreams, expectations and hopes of West Nilers for a model city in Uganda’s greater north region.
Mr Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
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