{UAH} The Three Amigos Of Kampala City
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3:35 AM |
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Frank Mujabi/Annet,
-- What do you make of the triumvirate of Betti kamya, Musisi and Lukwago and how they are running or stalling Kampala?
One thing that struck me most when I visited Moscow three years ago, after I left many years ago as a student, was the remarkable transformation of the city from the Moscow I lived in in the 1980s. And the trick was, Putin gave Moscow an almost federal status- the city is almost a country in its own right- the only power it does not have is Security, Foreign Policy and over-all Economic policy. But in terms of taxation, investment, finance. transport, social policy, housing etc- the elected Mayor of Moscow has all these in his docket with very little interference from central government. Consequently, Moscow runs a very huge and profitable transport infrastructure, and with its taxation base, it can borrow money and invest in both economic and social infrastructure to an extent very few cities in the world can do.
Kampala city can not develop unless it is allowed to raise money and invest with little interference from central government. Take Transport in Kampala for eg: I have already written to Dan Bwanika about this. A $ 250 million investment in the Kamapala Road infratructure would change it completely within a matter of 5 years and turn it into the biggest milking cow for the city for many years to come. Conservatively, 200,000 people travel in a public transport (mainly boda boda) around Kampala every single day, Supposing they paid just one dollar tax or fares on these journeys if a good road infrastructure was is in place, this would be $200,000 per day!!!
Kampala needs to do what cities like Manila have done.
1. pedestrianise the city centre and make it accessible only to public transport in the day time.
2. because current buildings cant be knocked down so as to enlarge the streets, make alternate streets one way streets
3. build tram lines in the middle of the streets
4. commission two or three companies to run the bus as well as tram services
5. build giant busparks at four points around the city- about 5 miles outside- where other public transport such as buses, taxis and boda boda pick up their fare. These public transport would not be allowed in the town centre as it is pedestrianised.
Even with $250 million investment, Kampala would be able to raise at least $50 million per annum from road tax revenue, and be free of debt completely in less than 5 years,.
Bobby
Speaking on CBS FM morning talk show, parliament yaffe, which is moderated by Meddie Nsereko, Kamya said Musisi has lost direction. "Musisi has become a populist; you discuss something and then she rushes to leak it to the media. We meet every Monday; us the two ministers, the undersecretary, Musisi and her team. There is always an opportunity for her to ask anything she wants but when you bypass those channels and instead run to do your work from the media, then you've become a politician," Kamya said. "That populism can't take us anywhere; I don't fight petty wars but what I don't want is populism," she adde
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