The Special Forces Command's (SFC) Construction Regiment has set its sight on filling a staggering 19,324 square meters of potholes in the central division by mid-December 2023, with an estimated cost of Shs 2 billion.
The ambitious endeavour commenced on Monday with Kololo, a prestigious diplomatic residential neighbourhood that has long grappled with the menace of potholes.
The roads earmarked for restoration in this comprehensive effort include prominent thoroughfares such as Prince Charles Drive, Elizabeth Avenue, Wampewo, John Babiha, Lower and Upper Kololo, Impala, Nile Avenue, Colville, and Kimathi Avenue, among others.
SFC's Lt Col Robert Chabo elucidated the scope of the work, stating, "The scope of works entails the total reconstruction of some areas' sub-base, base, and wearing course (the upper layer in the roadway)."
After Kololo, the SFC Engineers will proceed to Kiyembe, downtown Kampala, before advancing to the city centre and Old Kampala.
The SFC has also committed to rectifying the dilapidated roads near the Law Development Centre and Makerere University.
Lt. Chabo emphasized that drainage work will commence once the pothole repairs are completed.
This initiative follows a visit by Senior Presidential Advisor in charge of Special Operations, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to the potholed roads earlier this year.
In May, Gen Muhoozi met with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) leadership at City Hall, conducting a joint tour of the roads in the Industrial Area.
At the time, Gen Muhoozi underscored the urgency of intervention, recognizing the deplorable state of the roads.
Subsequently, President Museveni directed Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to facilitate cooperation between KCCA and the SFC Construction Regiment for the repair of the infamous potholes in Kampala City.
“This is to direct you to cause the relevant agencies of government to allow KCCA to directly work with the SFC Construction Regiment to repair the famous potholes in Kampala City” Museveni said in May,22 in a letter to the prime minister Robinah Nabbanja.
Traditionally, KCCA has used murram to fill Kampala's potholes, a temporary solution that often gets washed away during rainy seasons, leaving the roads in a dire state.
Public outcry regarding the abundance of potholes in Kampala has been gaining momentum, with Ugandans taking to social media to voice their frustration.
"We have potholes of every design, and size, deep, shallow, wide, narrow, filled with water and dry ones, they are all in Kampala," lamented the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa on April 18, during a parliament plenary session.
In response to mounting pressure, the SFC construction regiment together with KCCA embarked on addressing the longstanding issue and restoring the city's roads to a more accessible and safer condition.
