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Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, Mayor Mbarara City
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By Joshua Nahamya
Mbarara City
Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi has urged the central government to enact a specific law to govern Uganda’s newly created regional cities, saying the prolonged absence of a legal and financing framework is crippling service delivery. Speaking during a budget conference to present Mbarara City’s priorities for the 2026/27 Financial Year—focused on transforming the city into an “inclusive green city”—Kakyebezi said regional cities have been operating without clear administrative and funding guidelines since their elevation nearly five years ago. “Ever since we received a city status, we have never received a governing law or document,” he said. “The political and administrative structures have increased, but the necessary funding has not.”
He added that failure to separate assets and boundaries between the city and the mother district continues to stall development projects, citing the failure to rehabilitate Kakyeka Stadium as an example.
“We are still receiving the same funding as when we were a municipality. Yet new wards were added, and service delivery demands have greatly increased,” he noted.
Mbarara city leadership, locals and business community busy attending the budget conference at Adit Mall.
Shrinking Road Budget
City officials also raised concerns about drastic cuts in road infrastructure allocations. Senior City Economist Patrick Kanamugira said the road fund has dropped from Shs 1.2 billion—when Mbarara was still a municipality—to just Shs 365 million as a city. “With such a reduction, many community access roads remain in poor condition,” he warned.
Mayor Kakyebezi called for an urgent amendment to the Road Fund Act to reflect the creation of new city divisions and growing service needs.
Some of the citizens submitin their opinions for a better Mbarara City
City’s FY 2026/27 Priorities
Despite financial constraints, the city has highlighted key action areas for the next financial year:
• Urban order enforcement:
Kakyebezi vowed to crack down on poor livestock keeping and illegal land use, insisting residents must comply with the physical development plan.
• Land titling:
Finance Secretary Ronald Taremwa said securing land titles for all city properties—including the main parking yard—is a top priority to safeguard public assets.
• Infrastructure maintenance:
Taremwa appealed to residents to stop vandalizing streetlights and other costly infrastructure.
“Once we hand over facilities like schools and staff houses, users must budget for maintenance,” he said.
Staffing and Revenue Challenges
The city collected Shs 9.18 billion in local revenue last financial year, achieving 91% of its target. However, officials say double taxation by both the city and URA is burdening businesses, forcing the city to avoid raising revenue projections.
Meanwhile, severe understaffing is hindering service delivery. Dr Moses Amanyire, Head of Production, revealed the extension services ratio stands at 1 officer per 17,000 residents.
“Before city status we were three staff, and we remain three to date,” he said, urging government to support recruitment across key departments.
Commercial Officer Allan Buhanda said the city will continue mobilizing and strengthening cooperatives to support Parish Development Model interventions and boost local economic development.
Patrick Kanamugira, Mbarara City Senior Planner
Stakeholder Recommendations
Participants at the conference proposed measures to promote compliance, innovation and sustainability:
The budget conference was part of efforts to align Mbarara City’s plan with the national 2026/27 development theme: “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy.”
Torch Media Africa
