Africa-Press – Uganda. The Ministry of Local Government has launched a nationwide effort to streamline and enforce physical planning across districts, cities, and municipalities, warning that Uganda risks chaotic development without coordinated planning.
Speaking at a meeting with physical planners from all local governments in Kampala, Ben Kumumanya, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, emphasized the need for closer collaboration with the National Planning Authority (NPA) to align local development plans with the National Physical Development Plan approved in 2023.
“This is the first national-level engagement with local government planners, and it comes at a critical time when Uganda must meet international standards in physical planning to attract investment and drive sustainable development,” Kumumanya said.
Under the amended Physical Planning Act of 2024, all district, city, and municipal Physical Development Plans (PDPs) must be submitted to NPA for approval.
However, implementation remains the responsibility of local governments a system Kumumanya said has been undermined by funding shortfalls, non-functional planning committees, expired plans, and inadequate technical staff.
“The consequences of weak compliance with planning laws are evident in unplanned settlements, slums, poor infrastructure, and environmental degradation,” he said.
“We must urgently strengthen the planning function at local government level if Uganda is to achieve orderly development.”
To address these challenges, the government outlined several initiatives. It plans to collaborate with Makerere University’s College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology to develop affordable plans for local governments. The government also intends to revive the BADEA project to support training and retooling of physical planning offices.
Additionally, it is pushing for the creation of a dedicated Physical Planning Fund and aims to strengthen partnerships with international development partners to secure funding.
So far, the cities of Gulu, Jinja, Mbarara, and Arua have benefited from a greening and industrialization project coordinated by NPA.
The meeting also validated new guidelines for preparing and approving physical development plans, handling appeals on land-use changes, and introducing a compliance assessment tool.
These measures are expected to standardize processes, reduce delays, and improve implementation across all levels of government.
Kumumanya urged physical planners to embrace the reforms and cooperate with national authorities:
“Without full support of physical planning at the national level, we risk developing in a disorganized manner. It is our collective responsibility to ensure orderly and smart development across Uganda.”
Adding to this, Dr. Joseph Muvawala, Executive Director of the National Planning Authority, pledged support to physical planners by promising a dedicated fund for physical planning.
He announced that reporting lines for physical planners will be streamlined to improve accountability and efficiency.
Dr. Muvawala urged planners to ensure all local governments have both structural and detailed plans extending to the village level.
He discouraged over-reliance on costly consultants, advocating instead for greater use of in-house expertise within local governments.
He also proposed that workshop participants serve as trainers of trainers (ToTs) in their respective districts to cascade knowledge to the grassroots level.
“These regional physical planning meetings should not end here,” Dr. Muvawala emphasized, calling for them to evolve into regular platforms for knowledge sharing and capacity building.
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