POTHOLES CAPITAL

Uganda: Kampala’s potholes, emblematic of its politics

By Edward Nyembo

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Posted on May 22, 2023 13:38

© Ugandan General Muhoozi Kainerugaba (L) took tour of 6th & 7th street, Kampala, to look at potholes in the capital (Photo: Twitter/@KCCAUG) — Ugandan General Muhoozi Kainerugaba (L) took tour of 6th & 7th street, Kampala, to look at potholes in the capital (Photo: Twitter/@KCCAUG)

If there is a feature that sums up Kampala, the capital, it is the potholes. The city – the heartbeat of Uganda’s economic development – has never voted for President Yoweri Museveni for as long as he has been in the top job, and has been starved of funds from the central government. Opposition politicians believe there is a connection between the city’s voting patterns and its underfunding.

Officials from the city administration say potholes in the capital measure 25,000 square metres. The road network of Kampala totals 2,100km but only 654km are tarmacked. And more than half of those are in bad shape.

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