Mbarara Residents Face Potential Displacement as Drainage Upgrades Begin

Mbarara City Mayor, Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, confirmed that a team from the Ministry is currently in the city to design solutions for the chronic flooding issues, with a focus on improving waste disposal systems and managing water runoff.

Mbarara City residents are bracing for potential displacement as the Ministry of Lands begins work on upgrading the city’s major drainage channels.

Mbarara City Mayor, Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, confirmed that a team from the Ministry is currently in the city to design solutions for the chronic flooding issues, with a focus on improving waste disposal systems and managing water runoff.

“We want to work on all the major drainage or malaria channels in Mbarara, and the team is already here to work on the designs,” Kakyebezi explained.

The planned improvements will address flood-prone areas, particularly the Kiswahili, Kajogo, and Kisenyi drainage channels, which span multiple parts of the city, including Koranorya and Kisenyi.

As Mbarara's population grows rapidly, some residents are at risk of displacement due to illegal construction along or atop these drainage channels.

Kakyebezi noted that while the city needs to improve its drainage system to avoid flooding, residents who have built in these areas will face challenges.

“We shall have to inconvenience them to plan for them better instead of planning for the dead in case of a catastrophe,” he added, referring to the urgent need to address flood risks in vulnerable areas.

Joseph Asasira, the Mbarara City Environment Officer, stressed the importance of regulating land ownership, particularly in wetlands.

He noted that some landowners have been backfilling wetlands to create commercial plots or residential areas, exacerbating the problem of blocked drainage channels.

“As a result, our drainage channels have been blocked, and whenever it rains here in the city, we have a lot of flooding in the areas of Kiyanja cell, Koranorya, Biharwe, and most of our lowlands,” Asasira explained.

With a population of approximately 264,425, Mbarara has seen rapid urban growth, leading to the development of slums with inadequate infrastructure.

This situation has contributed to the deterioration of drainage systems and the continued threat of flooding.

As the city moves forward with plans to upgrade its drainage network, many residents may face significant disruptions as part of the necessary changes.