Ugandans showcase potholes in Kampala as govt drags feet to repair damaged roads

A cross section of Ugandans on Monday took to Twitter to express their anger and frustrations at the poor state of roads in Kampala.
Under the hashtag #KampalaPotholeExhibition, different social media users shared photos of roads with potholes across the city, with many of them castigating the government for turning a blind eye on the deteriorating road conditions in the different parts of the city.

Mr Jim Spire Ssentongo, a cartoonist, on April 15, tweeted: “Our preliminary KAMPALA POTHOLE EXHIBITION starts on Monday April 17. We shall exhibit Kampala pothole photos on every tweet by @KCCAUG @UNRA_UG, @NRMOnline, @GenWamala with the location of the pothole (pondhole), age of the pothole, estimated size, and a note of thanks.
He added on Sunday: “As you participate in the Kabaka Birthday Run, take as many Kampala pothole photos and videos as you can to equip yourself for the #KampalaPotholeExhibition starting online tomorrow."

By this morning, the hashtag had garnered more than 14,000 tweets.
Mr Ssentongo said: “With all the taxes collected in Kampala, it’s difficult to understand why over half of the roads in the city should have huge potholes - year in, year out! No justification can make sense of that".
However, Ms Dorothy Kisaka, the executive director of KCCA, last week said they are cash-strapped and cannot do much.
“People criticising KCCA about not doing roads, should know that roads are made with money. Without money, KCCA can’t do roads...,” she said in an interview.
What other Twitter users said
Mr Gaetano Kagwa, a presenter at Capital FM in Kampala, tweeted: “Welcome to Kampala, Uganda. The pothole capital of the world. Please enjoy your stay.”
However, his post drew immediate reaction from Mr Allan Ssempebwa, the Uganda National Roads Authority spokesperson, who said Mr Kagwa should have done better after he represented Uganda in the first edition of Big Brother Africa.
“Now, after representing Uganda, raising our flag ‘high’ years back, what good do you get this time in representing Uganda this way?” he questioned.

Ssempebwa who had a busy day, responding to different tweets by different people said despite perceptions of some, public services have been extended to benefit the population in countless ways. He said the government has been pivotal in infrastructure development. He shared photos of the Nile bridge at Jinja and other roads that have been constructed.
“I actually have no issue with displaying images! However, focusing on old terrible images with added negative superlatives to define Uganda is counterproductive! Let's pinpoint the bad ones and provide the authorities with the specifics they need to take action,” he said.
“No one wants to be stuck in a mess! That's why it's important that we take the time to point out the specific areas on the city network and inform KCCA authorities. This way, we can avoid generalisations and use of old images and ensure our message is heard,” he added in response to some of the tweets.
Mr Godber Tumushabe, the associate director at the Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Studies, simply tweeted: “How have we allowed our city to be in this shape? How? How?”

Samwise Gamgee, a Twitter user, wondered how a city with an administrative structure, including a full cabinet minister, Lord Mayor and all the technocrats fails to manage the poor roads within the city.
“Kampala has 10 MPs in Parliament, with two full ministers responsible for Kampala Affairs. But look at the state of Kampala roads and the garbage situation in Kampala!! That is why as Kampalans, we all have to amplify Spire Jim Ssentongo’s campaign of exhibiting Kampala's potholes/pondholes,” he said.
Janice Kyakundwa tweeted a photo of potholes on some of the city roads and said: “No, these are not craters on the moon!! These are potholes on Kampala City roads after 36+ years of reconstruction.”
Jeje Odea, a youth advocate, said a number of government programmes to fight against poverty have failed, do not expect city roads to be any better.

“Let’s accept that the same way NRM failed to fight poverty is the same way they have failed with city potholes,” he tweeted
Arinaitwe Rugyendo, a media entrepreneur and a member of government, set 4th industrial revolution taskforce, quoting work a book by Robert Rotberg was more direct in his tweet.
In "Failed States, Collapsed States, Weak States: Causes and Indicators,"  Robert Rotberg writes on Page seven: "Failed states are typified by destroyed infrastructure. The more potholes, the more a state will exemplify failure. As rulers, siphon funds from the state coffers, so there are fewer resources for road crews, equipment, and raw materials, as citizens are left to their own devices."

Sammie Manini, another user, wondered what KCCA does with the money allocated in the budget.
“KCCA requests for a lot of money for road maintenance and repairs every financial year but can’t even fix them,” he tweeted.
Annah Ashaba tweeted: “The Uganda Tourism Board, I hope you’ve seen how proud of the Pearl of Africa Ugandans are. The ongoing Kampala Pothole Exhibition should be included in the Tulambule packages.”
Muzaphal Kimbugwe said: “I wish to salute the initiators of, and those taking part in the Kampala Pothole Exhibition. To those with a misplaced sense of patriotism, no city in the world should have such a pothole situation. The government must act urgently, and this campaign is timely.”