KAMPALA

Demographics

Kampala has a diverse ethnic population, although the Baganda - the local ethnic group - make up over 60% of the greater Kampala region. The city's ethnic makeup has been defined by political and economic factors. During the rule of Milton Obote and Idi Amin, who were both from northern Uganda, a significant number of northern Ugandans moved into Kampala during the 1960s, 70's and 80's Most served in the armed forces and the police. Most settled around the areas where the Military and Police barracks were located - Naguru, Bugolobi and Mbuya. With the overthrow of Milton Obote in 1986, many northern Ugandans left the city. At the same time a large number of western Ugandans, particularly the Banyankole, moved into the city, reflecting the large proportion of western Ugandans in the new government of Yoweri Museveni.[6]
The mismanagement of Uganda's economy during the 1970s and 1980s meant that there were fewer employment opportunities outside Kampala. This encouraged many people from around the country to move into the city, and most have not moved back to their home districts after the revitalization of the economy in the 1990s and 2000s.

Kampala at night.
Inter-tribal marriage in Uganda is still rare, and although many Kampala residents have been born and bred in the city they still define themselves by their tribal roots. This is more evident in the suburbs of the city, where local languages are spoken widely alongside English, Swahili and Luganda. Apart from the Baganda and Banyankole, other large ethnic groups include the Basoga, Bafumbira, Batoro, Bakiga, Alur, Banyoro, Iteso and Acholi.[7]

Transportation

Transportation In early 2007, it was announced that Kampala would remove commuter taxis from its streets and replace them with a comprehensive city bus service. The bus service was expected to cover the greater Kampala metropolitan area including Mukono, Mpigi, Bombo, Entebbe, Wakiso and Gayaza. The decision is yet to be implemented.[2] Boda-bodas (local motorcycle transportation) are a popular mode of transport that gives access to many areas with in and outside the city. Standard fees for these range from UGX 500 to 1,000 or more. Boda-bodas are useful for passing through rush-hour traffic although they are usually poorly maintained and often dangerous. [3] In January 2007, the mayor of Kampala City announced plans to introduce a congestion fee of Sh30,000 per vehicle per day when the bus network is launched.[4] This decision is also yet to be implemented.

Features

Street in the city centre.
The main campus of Makerere University, one of East and Central Africa's premier institutes of higher learning, can be found in the Makerere Hill area of the City. Kampala is also home to the headquarters of the East African Development Bank, located on Nakasero Hill.
Kampala is said to be built on seven hills, although this is not quite accurate.
The first hill in historical importance is Kasubi Hill, which is where the Kasubi Tombs of the previous Kabakas are housed.
The second is Mengo Hill where the present Lubiri (Kabaka's Palace) is and the Headquarters of the Buganda Court of Justice and of the Lukiiko, Buganda's Parliament.
The third is Kibuli Hill, which is home to the Kibuli Mosque. Islam was brought to Uganda before the Christian missionaries came.
The fourth is Namirembe Hill, home to the Namirembe Anglican Cathedral. The Protestants were the first of the Christian Missions to arrive.
The fifth is Rubaga Hill, where the Rubaga Catholic Cathedral is, and was the headquarters of the White Fathers.
The sixth Nsambya, was the Headquarters of the Mill Hill Mission. It now houses Nsambya Hospital.
The seventh, the little hill of Kampala, (also known as Old Kampala), the hill of the Impala is where the ruins of Lugard's Fort were. However, the ruins were recently destroyed (2003), when the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) started on reconstruction of a 15,000-seater mosque on land that included the fort. The mosque was begun by Idi Amin but was never completed. The fort was then re-located to a nearby area (a new and similar one constructed), a move that has since been a source of controversy between The Historic Buildings Conservation Trust (HBCT) of Uganda and the UMSC. The UMSC was given the gazetted land as a gift by President Idi Amin in 1972 during its inauguration. This hill is where Kampala got its name.

A view of suburban Kampala.

A restaurant In Kampala.
The City spread to Nakasero Hill where the administrative centre and the wealthiest residential area is. Nakasero is also the location of the most upscale hotels in the city including:
The Kampala Sheraton Hotel
The Kampala Hilton Hotel
The Kampala Serena Hotel
The Grand Imperial Hotel
The Imperial Royale Hotel
The Kampala Speke Hotel
There is also Tank Hill, where the water storage tanks that supply the city are located. Mulago Hill is the site of Mulago Hospital, the largest hospital in Uganda. The city is now rapidly expanding to include Makindye Hill and Konge Hill. Makindye Division incorporating Kibuli, Tank Hill and Makindye now has over 300,000 residents. Medical provision in this part of town, being more recently developed, is limited. Hospitals include Kibuli Hospital, St. Francis Hospital Nsambya and the International Hospital (IHK). Philanthropic health services are provided by Hope Clinic Lukuli situated between Tank Hill, Makindye and Konge.
Suburbs include Kololo in the east on Kololo Hill, the highest hill, home to the Uganda Museum. Other suburbs include Namirembe; Kibuli; Kabalagala; Rubaga; Ntinda; Najjera; Kisaasi; Nateete; Najjanankumbi; Kira (which incorporates Banda, Kireka, Bweyogerere, Namugongo, Bulindo and Nsasa) among others.
Other features of the city include the Uganda Museum, Ugandan National Theatre, Nakasero Market and St. Balikuddembe Market (formerly Owino Market). Kampala is also known for its nightlife, which includes several casinos, notably Casino Simba in the Garden City shopping center, Kampala Casino and Mayfair Casino. Entebbe International Airport is located at Entebbe, 35 miles (56 km) away, while Port Bell on the shores of Lake Victoria is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away.
Also to note is that Kampala hosts one of only seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship in the world. It is known as the Mother Temple of Africa and is situated on Kikaya Hill on the outskirts of the city. Its foundation stone was laid in January 1958, and was dedicated on January 13, 1961. See Bahá'í Faith in Uganda.
Kampala going westwards has Kabaka's Lubiri, the palace of the King of Buganda. Buganda is one of the oldest kingdoms in Africa, dating back to the late 13th Century. Other landmarks include the Kasubi tombs, the magnificent mosque at old Kampala, Namirembe and Rubaga Cathedral, at the very edge there is Kasumba Square Mall at the intersection of Northern Bypass and Busega roundabout.

History

Kampala in early 1950s
Before the arrival of the British, Mutesa I the Kabaka (king) of Buganda had chosen the area that was to become Kampala as one of his favourite hunting grounds. The area was made up of numerous rolling hills and lush wetlands. It was an ideal breeding ground for various game, particularly a species of antelope, the Impala (Aepyceros melampus). The origin of the word impala is likely from the Zulu language in South Africa, adapted into English. The British called the area the hills of the Impala. Translated to Luganda it became "kasozi ka Impala". With time, local usage took to referring to the Kabaka's hunting expeditions as "Kabaka agenze e ka´empala ("The Kabaka has gone to Ka'mpala"). Eventually the hills became known as Kampala.[1]
The city grew as the capital of the Buganda kingdom, from which several buildings survive, including the Kasubi Tombs (built in 1881), the Buganda Parliament, the Buganda Court of Justice and the Naggalabi Buddo Coronation Site. Severely damaged in the Uganda-Tanzania War, the city has since then been rebuilt, with constructions of new buildings including hotels, banks, shopping malls, educational institutions, hospitals and improvement of war torn buildings and infrastructure. Traditionally, Kampala was a city of seven hills, but over time it has come to have a lot more.

The Kampala Institutional & Infrastructure Development Program KIIDP

Kampala City
Kampala City, the Capital of Uganda, is one of the districts of Uganda, and it is the only urban district in the country. Kampala City is the hub of the country’s economic, political, and administrative activities. About 2.3 million people (66% of national urban population – 2002 census) live and/ or work in the greater Kampala region. About 80% of the country’s industrial services are located in Kampala and the city generates a big proportion of Uganda’s GDP. The economic future of Uganda is thus intrinsically linked to the performance of Kampala, and this highlights the importance of the City’s ability to provide socio-economic services needed by residents. Unfortunately, the City’s delivery capabilities have not kept pace with its economic and demographic growth. Deficiencies in its organization, management, and financial and human resource capacities, and revenue base constrain the Council’s ability to provide the required levels and quality of services.KCC’s Strategic Framework for Reform (SFR)Kampala City Council (KCC) has devised a number of initiatives aimed at improving its operational, financial, and service delivery capacity. These reforms are documented in KCC’s Corporate Strategy document, the Strategic Framework for Reform (SFR). The SFR is a living document that is updated from time to time. The current SFR was adopted by the Council in November 2004 and it spells out the KCC vision 2015, goals and objectives. KCC vision 2015: “to have a secure, economically vibrant, well managed, sustainable and environmentally pleasant city that anyone would enjoy visiting and living in”; KCC’s overall objective is to achieve Sustainable Urban Development through two pillars: Good Urban Management and Good Urban Governance. The vision and goals will be achieved through the following strategies, among others:
Institutional Policy formulation and performance improvement: institutionalize a culture of performance based management that focuses on targets; Consolidate public/private partnerships in service delivery; and Improve organizational efficiency.
Political support, management and teamwork: Create an enabling environment for effective performance of Council’s political organs at all levels; Teamwork by Members of Parliament for Kampala, Public Servants, other State organs and the Civil Society towards achievement of the Strategic Objectives.
Communication and Corporate image building: Implementation of a Public Relations (PR) Strategy aimed at ensuring that KCC’s interests are well presented to the central government, stakeholders and the civil society for their support; Use the PR strategy to foster transparency and accountability for enhanced public trust, participation and payment of taxes.
Organizational reforms: Implement a new organizational structure that focuses on core functions.
Financial Recovery: Develop and Implement a Financial Recovery Action Plan with transparent budgeting, expenditure control and increasing revenue which should put KCC on a sound financial footing by the year 2015.
Improve service delivery: Increase budgetary allocation as revenues improve; Private sector participation in service delivery; Enhance monitoring & efficiency; Develop and implement a suitable Quality Assurance System (TQM).
Information & Communication Technology (ICT): Increase the use of ICT to enhance efficiency, information sharing and transparency.However, KCC does not have the resources required for implementing the above strategies to the full. Hence, implementation of SFR will require the support of the Central Government, the development partners, civil society, the private sector and the NGOs. The KIIDPKampala City Council (KCC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) has, over time, developed the Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Programme (KIIDP). The KIIDP has been designed to address the financial shortfall required to implement the necessary institutional reforms under the SFR. The overall Program Objective of the KIIDP is to develop a strong governance and management capacity in KCC so as to enhance service delivery and economic development for the City. It will assist KCC to address the fast deteriorating physical infrastructure in the City and improve its management and service delivery capacities.The KIIDP is estimated to cost US$ 100 Million, and will be funded by the World Bank together with the Government of Uganda and KCC. The KIIDP shall be implemented in three phases covering a period of ten years. Each phase will be appraised to learn from the experience gained during implementation of the previous phase. This will allow for continuous adjustment to the project design, early risk identification, and implementation of corrective measures before expanding to other phases, to ensure achievement of the overall project development objective.The first phase of the KIIDP will cost US$ 38.04 million and will be implemented over a period of three years (2008-2010). The objective of this phase is to improve institutional efficiency of KCC through implementation of the SFR. It will address three mutually strengthening areas: i) Institutional Development; ii) Citywide Infrastructure Services; iii) Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation and Civil Society Participation. Component 1 – Institutional Development (US$5.8 million)This component will assist KCC and its stakeholders to expand the SFR into a comprehensive approach to municipal development, consonant with Kampala’s central role in the nation’s economic and political life, through the following sub components: (i) support to organizational development and governance; (ii) support to financial recovery; and (iii) strengthening service delivery(A) Support to Organizational Development and GovernanceThis sub-component will support the following areas: (i) human resource management and training; (ii) general administration; (iii) education; (iv) gender welfare and community service; (v) planning and M&E; and (vi) communication strategy. (B) Support to Financial RecoveryThis sub-component will assist KCC to develop and implement a detailed financial recovery plan (FRAP) designed to place KCC on a sound financial position by the end of the program. The FRAP requires deep-rooted changes and institutional capacity building in three areas/subcomponents: (i) enhancing revenue management capacity; (ii) enhancing expenditure management capacity; and (iii) establishing a framework for the reduction, and control of expenditures. The first phase (APL1) will focus on: establishing a solid institutional and organizational base and capacity for management of KCC’s revenues and expenditures; immediately curbing the deficit; and reducing the stock of overdue liabilities.(C) Strengthening Service DeliveryThis sub-component will provide support to strengthen KCC’s capacity in service delivery. The project will support activities in the following areas: (i) public health and environment; (ii) quality assurance for infrastructure; (iii) urban planning and land management; and (iv) information, communication and technology. Component 2 - City Wide Infrastructure and Services Improvement (US$28.5 million)This component will support activities aimed at improving the provision of critical services to the city. The investment in infrastructure and service improvements will address the following priority areas which are critical for public confidence and which will contribute to the economic and commercial development of the city: i) Storm Water Drainage Systems; ii) Traffic Management; iii) Maintenance/Rehabilitation of approximately 26km of bituminous roads; iv) Upgrading of approximately 11km of gravel roads to bitumen standards; v) Solid Waste Management including provision and installation of a landfill gas collection system from an existing landfill and development of a new landfill; vi) Urban Markets Reconstruction/ Rehabilitation; together with the associated technical support services for Engineering Designs and Construction Supervision.Component 3 - Project Implementation Support (US$2.8 m)This component will support the management activities associated with the implementation of the project and the preparation of the next phase of the program. Activities will include: (i) project implementation support; (ii) preparation and follow up on annual citizen’s report card; and (iv) staff and councilor survey.