Play all the politics, but keep competent people at KCCA

About two months ago, a friend told me he would not be renewing his contract at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). He has several degrees to his name, has worked around in high-minded places, holds a fairly high-level position at KCCA and runs one of its more successful projects. He is a very decent person.

When I asked why he would not be renewing for KCCA, he smiled knowingly and walked away. Given our previous conversations, I knew he had had it at KCCA although he loved his job. Highly skilled senior people have over the years been leaving KCCA, capped with last week’s announcement by the executive director herself, Ms Jennifer Semakula Musisi. Her deputy, Dr Judith Tukahirwa, quit in 2016 disgusted by, yes, senseless political interference.

The enthusiasm to change the city within the technical wing seems to have slipped badly. The top of the political wing, however, is perversely triumphant. But Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago’s crowing before the cameras at the news of Ms Musisi’s announced departure was quite revealing of the politician and, more important, the man he is.

One of the more interesting achievements of Ms Musisi was to assemble a fairly technically competent team of Ugandans, like my friend, to run Kampala. Some in that team — frustrated by underfunding and largely by unhinged politicking from the presidency, the ministry in charge of the city, and the council — have been quitting. The drip-drip departures could potentially turn into a deluge with the departure of Ms Musisi herself.

In the face of the Musisi exit, the most critical thing the government could do is try to hold on to the more capable officers still at KCCA. The next city boss — whether he or she is a Lukwagoist, a Kamyaist, or Musevenist — will need a team that knows its stuff in city development. Even a politically more attuned chief than Ms Musisi will still need to show results. Kampalans have tasted a little of what their city can be. They are unlikely to settle for less.

While launching the Source of the Nile Bridge on Wednesday, President Museveni spoke of the need to keep the highly qualified Ugandans who worked on the structure. As it should be. He even said they should be paid well. I hope this means he is abandoning the populist and hare-brained idea of rationalising salaries across government entities. It is a non-starter. But if it must happen at all, pay must be tagged to performance.

For example, whereas two directors at the same level each earns Shs21 million in a quarter, one who delivers more and better in a given quarter should get a bonus of another Shs21 million. The laggard should get much less bonus money or nothing.
Kampala, indeed all of Uganda, will be transformed by Ugandans. That’s a cliché repeated by our politicians. Ask them how to get the fit-for-purpose Ugandans and keep them long enough to deliver results and they draw a blank.

In September, President Museveni said that in nine months Kampala will be a “safer, cleaner, and smarter” city. It depends on how the President defines these terms. Kampala can’t be safer with potholes, traffic jams, unruly bodas, and unlit streets (the lights Ms Musisi installed are no longer working on several streets for reasons I don’t know.) Kampala can’t be cleaner with dust, mud and overflow sewage. Maybe it can be smarter with the new security cameras, but even those go only so far.

Cheap politicking, patronage, mouthing off platitudes and generally acting crazy won’t do. Every passing day when Kampala is politicking and not working is a day lost for the haves, have-nots and for the in-betweens. A working Kampala will work for us all. To expect Kampala, in its present state, to work without breaking things and causing some tears is to engage in wishful thinking.

The question is, who will cry more? Is it the vendor, the market woman, the street shop owner, the landlord with a house in a road reserve, the boda guy, or the my-car guy?
As the new director comes in, all those who think themselves to be lords of this and that must sit together and agree a roadmap to follow. Else, the urban jungle we have will grow wilder and swallow everyone, including the self-important leaders at national and Kampala level.

Bernard Tabaire is a media trainer and commentator on public affairs based in Kampala.
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Twitter:@btabaire