Africa-Press – Uganda. The decision by the chairperson of Wabigalo Parish, Namuwongo, Kampala, to stop a pastor from burning bricks next to Vivo Energy fuel depot is spot-on and very welcome.
This newspaper reported yesterday that the pastor, Tom Mpande, had prepared 60,000 bricks for baking when Mr Elijah Owobusingye stopped him in his tracks.
The reason was that there was a lot of fuel fumes in the atmosphere, which could expose the near-by residents to danger.
The development brings to fore one element about our urban planning, particularly in Kampala. Urban planning means giving the required structural shape and design to cities and towns.
Urban planning takes into account the road and transport network, building designs, water sources, drainage aspects, green spaces, and well established health facilities, among others.
Going by those standards and requirements, Uganda’s capital is easily one of the most poorly planned cities in the region, with majority of the population living in slum areas.
Even with the National Land Use Policy and the Physical Planning Act, 2010 and the The Physical Planning Guidelines and Standards (2011), and with qualified urban planners at both city and municipal councils, the urban setting remains horrible and an eyesore.
It is not uncommon to find a factory in the middle of a residential area or a homestead in the middle of Industrial area.
The market forces have been left to determine who builds what, where regardless of dangers. People choose to do what they want and nothing happens to them.
The swamps have been backfilled and homes and factories set up there. The road network is very poor. If they are not bumpy, they are narrow and sometimes lead to nowhere. Some homes do not even have access and if they do, they are narrow pathways.
It is no surprise, therefore, that fuel depots are located in hugely populated areas such as Banda and Namuwongo. Petrol stations are also sprouting all over the city yet regulators issue threats without implementing.
We desire to sell Uganda as a tourist destination. Tourists want to come to clean and well-planned cities even when their destinations are to the countryside. An aerial view of Kampala City paints a picture of a place sitting on a time bomb.
It requires very fundamental measures to reset the design and structural outlook even when it will cost a fortune compensating people. It is understandable that the political and judicial climate in the country may not give planners the best room to work. But do your work!
