Kisaka disappointed over slow progress of city roadworks

The executive director of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Ms Dorothy Kisaka, has expressed disappointment with the slow progress of the project being carried out by Konoike Construction, a Japanese company contracted to upgrade selected city junctions to traffic signal junctions.

During an inspection at Mulago and Kubiri roundabouts, Ms Kisaka, along with her junior, Eng David Luyimbazi, and other KCCA staff, emphasized the need for faster results and suggested that the contractor works both day and night to expedite the project.

“I’m not satisfied with the progress of this work. It is taking too long. We need results. We have discovered that they are not working at night so, we are saying let us work out a plan and start working at night. We can provide security,” she said on Saturday.

The project, which aims to signalize 27 junctions and remove five roundabouts at a cost of Shs78b, is supported by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and is intended to address the city's traffic congestion issues.

Ms Kisaka urged the contractor to clear debris and garbage from the sites and to ensure the completion of the project by the deadline of April 2025.

Mr Tetsuro Izawa, speaking on behalf of the contractor, cited delays due to the lengthy process of relocating underground fibre cables, as well as disruptions from the rainy weather and traffic jams.

However, he assured that the team would make every effort to meet the agreed-upon timeline. The project, which began in October 2022, is expected to be completed by April 2025.