Kampala minister asks investors for road maintenance academy
The state minister for Kampala, Mr Kyoffatogabye Kabuye, interacts with officials from China Railway Group 18 and some of the children living with disabilities at Mulago School for the Deaf, and children with disabilities at the Missionaries of the Poor in Busega, Kampala, on July 5, 2024. PHOTO/STEPHEN OTAGE
What you need to know:
- China Railway Group 18 is currently undertaking road construction projects in Kampala.
The Ministry of Kampala Metropolitan Affairs has requested local and Chinese construction companies involved in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme to establish a Road Maintenance Academy to train Ugandans.
On Friday, while delivering basic necessities and scholastic materials to children with hearing impairment at Mulago School for the Deaf, and children with disabilities at the Missionaries of the Poor in Busega, the state minister for Kampala, Mr Kyoffatogabye Kabuye, urged officials from the China Railway Group 18 to donate these necessities under their corporate social responsibility programme.
He also called on the Chinese company to lead the establishment of the Academy, where Ugandans could gain vocational skills and expertise in road maintenance.
“The most critical thing I can do is to identify land for them. I want your people to build a technical centre to train people to maintain the roads. Next year in your corporate social responsibility, you should set up a technical centre for our people to maintain the roads,” he said.
He explained that the Ministry of Works and Transport would collaborate to set up the centre, ensuring that contractors pass on skills and technology to local Ugandans. This content would also be integrated into vocational and technical schools to train youths in road and street lighting maintenance.
China Railway Group 18 is currently undertaking road construction projects in Kampala, including Eighth, Seventh, Sixth, and Fifth Streets in the Industrial Area, as well as Sir Apollo Kagwa Road, Muzito Road, Suna I and Suna II Roads in Zana, Salama Road, Queens Way, Kyebando Ring Road, Kisaasi II Road, and the road from Kasubi to the Northern Bypass.
The company has been credited for transforming the newly created cities and municipalities of Gulu, Arua, Mbarara, Entebbe, Fort Portal, Hoima, Kasese, Mubende, and Masaka, among others, under the World Bank-funded USMID Project.
Ms Jiang Ping, the project manager for KCCA Lot 3, highlighted their work on the Mayuge-Majangi-Busia Road and the Nebbi-Pakwach-Olwiyo Road.
“We wish we had more cities because we want development. We have also worked on the cities of Gulu, Arua, Hoima, Masaka, Fort Portal, and Kasese,” she said.
In March 2020, the cabinet endorsed the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GMKA-UDP), which implements the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Local Economic Development Strategy valued at $566 million (Shs2.1 trillion).
This involves constructing roads in Kira Division, drainages, markets, and youth skilling centers within KCCA, Wakiso, Mpigi, Mukono, Kira Municipality, Nansana Municipality, Entebbe Municipality, and Makindye Ssabagabo, aiming to decongest Kampala.
