The city of Kampala is on its last lifelines. Whatever happens in the next 2 years of city management will determine whether the city can be saved or should be treated as a lost cause. I recently tweeted and asked Frank Rusa, the current Executive director of Kampala City to have three things as his priority themes:
- Livability: I define this as the extent to which a city is able to promote human flourising. It’s the ability of a city to promote great forms of human expression. This is from great eateries, security in the city, amenities such as hospitals and schools, affordable housing in the city, diverse shopping, parks, to mention but a few.
- Mobility: This is about how one can easily move in and around the city. How easily can you get from the old taxi park to a restaurant in Naguru or Kololo. Can you do it on foot? Are the junctions signalized? Are there taxi points? Bus points? Can you cycle? Can you use an electric scooter? Can I do it while walking with a child or a pet? What about mobility for the disabled?
- Waste Management: I always used to say, a place has not civilized until it can handle its waste. If you go to a place, the first thing to check out are the trash cans and the lavatories. If you find piles of garbage, that’s probably not a great city.
I believe in the soul of Rusa. Not that I have worked with or under him, but I could read his energy when Andrew Mwenda introduced me to Rusa in Kanyandahi. He described Rusa as his childhood debate-mate. That they used to have the kind of debates that would shake the whole of Fort Portal. Now he has a city to manage. I believe those three things should be priority. Of course, below these are things such as cultural transformation, raising awareness of the residents in the city. But the three should form the vision of a New Kampala.
Or else, some of us are already looking for a new city…