Relocate the capital from Kampala to Nakasongola

If you were a first-time visitor in Kampala city, only 30 minutes on any Kampala Street would be enough for you to appreciate the city’s stature. In those few minutes, you would be stunned by the city’s level of disorganisation, lawlessness and the poorly planned infrastructure.

 Kampala, which serves both as Uganda’s commercial and administrative capital, is plagued by a multitude of problems ranging from non-functional traffic regulations, uncoordinated road networks to congestion caused by people, vehicles, boda bodas and buildings. 

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 On virtually all counts, it is fair to say the Kampala Capital City Authority, and other responsible government agencies, have failed in the management of the city. So many policies have been tried, reinvented and tried again but with little success.

 To be honest, I sometimes feel sorry for the city planners because no matter how hard they try, the problems just get worse. And I doubt whether there’s any quantity of resources that can be employed to transform Kampala from its current village-like status to a first-class city.  Instead, we should identify a new location, develop it and relocate the capital there.

 And if that was to happen, I would, without hesitation, recommend Nakasongola district as the new capital location. Obviously, this is not the first time that a proposal like this is being voiced – several past Ugandan governments, including the NRM, have expressed some interest in the subject.

 I would pick Nakasongola for three key strategic reasons: first is its central location, then security and the fact that it is still a largely virgin area, which would allow for proper physical planning and development.

 Nakasongola is one of the most central districts in the Country and can easily be accessed by all other regions. For instance, by road, from Kampala to Nakasongola, the distance is 111km; Nakasongola – Gulu is 221km; Nakasongola - Mbarara is 380km; Nakasongola – Mbale is 340km; and Nakasongola – Entebbe is 160km.

 With a population projected at 217,648 persons in 2020, the district covers 3,424 square kilometres (sq km), and hence is made up of a population density of only 63 persons per Sq Km of land. Kampala, on the other hand, had an estimated population of 3,298,000 persons in 2020 covering 190 Sq Km of land.

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 Kampala is suffocating partly because, like many cities founded by colonialists, there was no effective strategic planning, particularly with regards to population growth - the city was originally planned for a population of 150,000 persons.

 Certainly, such a move wouldn’t come without challenges. In Tanzania, it took nearly 50 years to realize the dream of relocating their capital from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma. The idea was birthed in 1973 under the leadership of their founding President Julius Nyerere but only materialized in 2020 under the late President John Magufuli.

 Under the late John Magufuli’s presidency, between 2015 and 2020, the relocation plan was revived and a new approach was adopted as well. A move was made to immediately build the necessary infrastructure; resources were identified and allocated to government agencies; and strict deadlines were set.

 In moving its capital to a new location, Tanzania was joining a number of other countries in and out of Africa. Examples include; Burundi (from Bujumbura to Gitega), Malawi (from Zomba to Lilongwe), Nigeria (from Lagos to Abuja), and Cote d’Ivoire (from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro).

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 Uganda should, therefore, learn from these countries, take the bold step and implement, in a phased approach, the relocation of the national capital to Nakasongola (or any other new strategic location). Let’s stop wasting valuable resources attempting to reorganise and restructure Kampala!

Mr Brian Mukalazi is the Country Director, Every Child Ministries Uganda.