By Nasser Kayanja
The Lord Mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, has expressed concern that his vision of transforming the city into a modern and well-managed capital may not be fully achieved after the government reduced the budget of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) by Shs200 billion.
Lukwago made the remarks while addressing a press conference at City Hall in Kampala as he reflected on the proposed 2026/2027 financial year budget.
According to the Lord Mayor, KCCA had projected a budget of more than Shs900 billion to address several long-standing challenges affecting the city. These include improving drainage systems, repairing roads, maintaining traffic lights and upgrading other key urban infrastructure.
However, Lukwago warned that the reduction of Shs200 billion from the authority’s budget will make it difficult to tackle many of these pressing issues.
He called upon the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda, Anita Among, to support efforts aimed at increasing funding for the city so that essential services and development projects can be implemented.
Lukwago also urged the Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, to work with Members of Parliament representing Kampala to question the actions of city businessman Hamis Kiggundu, whom he accused of acting with impunity while traders continue to demand compensation for losses linked to the ongoing disputes around the Nakivubo Channel.
In a related matter, the Lord Mayor said the government should compel Kiggundu to compensate the affected traders instead of using public funds to cover losses resulting from actions by a private individual.