Written By | Joshua Nahamya
One of the roads that were done under USMID project mortarable for the business community in Uganda
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Bushenyi
Preparations for the highly anticipated Uganda Cities and Municipalities Infrastructure Development (UCMID) project have reached a critical stage following an intensive two-day engagement session in Bushenyi. The dialogue brought together officials from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Bushenyi/Ishaka Municipality technocrats, political leaders, and the Municipal Development Forum (MDF) led by its President, Pison.
The session focused on profiling specific infrastructure projects slated for the first year of the five-year program, but the primary takeaway was a stern warning regarding project readiness and land acquisition.
Ministry of works and transport and stakeholders in Bushenyi on Thursday after harmonising on UCMID project yet to roll in Bushenyi Municipality
According to Ministry officials, the World Bank—the primary funder of the project—has maintained a strict policy regarding land encumbrances. Officials explicitly stated that “the World Bank is not ready to do any compensation for any piece of land to allow the expansion of any road to make it urban-standard.”
The warning was clear: if local residents and leaders do not cooperate to provide land for development, the municipality risks losing its share of the funding. “The World Bank will have no option but to re-allocate the funds to other municipalities or cities where there are no encumbrances,” the officials added.
Some of the works to be emphasised under UCMID project a continuation of USMID project to better infrastructure development in Uganda
Stakeholders were called upon to play their respective roles to ensure the municipality fully meets the funding requirements. This project is seen as a transformative opportunity, as UCMID is designed to turn rapidly growing urban centers into “safer, cleaner, and more liveable cities.”
The UCMID national program serves as an extension of the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program, which successfully concluded on December 31, 2023. This second phase, running from 2013–2024, is funded by the Government of Uganda and the World Bank to the tune of US$ 540 million.
Bushenyi-Ishaka is one of fifteen new municipalities set to benefit from the program, joining 33 other urban centers already enrolled. Other new beneficiaries include Mityana, Iganga, Masindi, Rukungiri, Kumi, Nebbi, Koboko, Kisoro, Kapchorwa, Ibanda, Njeru, Bugiri, Sheema, and Kotido.
With the profiling phase complete, the focus now shifts to community mobilization to ensure that the “no-compensation” requirement does not stall the development of vital urban infrastructure in Bushenyi.
Torch Media Africa
