Mukono Municipality authorities have embarked on a programme to aggressively improve the outlook of the city, to uphold the buildings to have a more visually appealing look and to attract businesses, enhance property values and increase tourism through an improved town appeal.
This comes in the wake of the realization that urban elegance and environmental quality are essential to fostering vibrant, liveable cities that attract investment, tourism and instill community pride.
In a communication from the office of the Senior Physical Planner dated 4th December, the physical planning committee has proposed a mandatory orderliness policy, aimed at uplifting the municipality’s appearance while promoting orderliness, environmental sustainability and communication participation.
The Enforcement Officer attached to the Physical Planning Department, Christopher Mutumba Kayongo said the new development is legally binding pursuant to the Physical Planning Committee Act of 2020 stipulating improvement of the town’s outlook.
Mutumba was sad to note that development agents like water, electricity and handlers of other utilities that need to fix underground cables have notoriously cut down trees planted for the town’s beautification with no efforts made to replace them.
He also noted that workers for such utilities who get assigned from Kampala to execute some jobs in Mukono indiscriminately cut down trees, and sometimes leave gaping trenches excavated in execution of their jobs.
“The town should be nice looking right from Namanve, even in our homes, there should be fruit trees planted especially as they serve a dual purpose of giving us fruits and shades for resting,” he noted.
Mukono Municipality Town Clerk, Francis Byabagambi reminded premise owners that they have the responsibility for garbage disposal in their places, and warned that if one is identified as having no agent for clearing his or her garbage, they will be held liable for the garbage disposed of on streets.
“No more licencing of premises without toilets and painting of dilapidated buildings plus ensuring of proper garbage management should primarily be enforced by landlords in addition to paving their areas”, Byabagambi said, adding that the traders doing business in the middle of the road and on top of drainage pipes must move away. He further noted that the grace period for non-compliance is the end of December 2024.
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The Deputy Speaker Mukono Municipal Council Rogers Bazanya said the new development is not in any way intended to victimize anyone but simply geared at giving a facelift to the town, noting that a clean smart city adds to attraction of investors and customers.
The above development comes as a follow up to a directive from the Ministry of Lands; Housing and Urban Development disclosing that parliament passed a law for orderliness of the environment in which Ugandans live.
According to a press briefing on the matter, it was stated that provisions of the Physical Planning Amendment Act No. 2 of 2020 stipulating that littering is an offence are now being put into law.
“Every person in Uganda is now under obligation to refrain from littering or dropping rubbish outside the litter bins,” the statement read in part.
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It further stated that on conviction, the offender will be subject to a fine of up to sh2m or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or both. It added that the law makes it mandatory for every premises to have a litter bin or garbage bin; failure to comply constitutes an offence the conviction of which will attract a fine of up to sh2m or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both.
People found throwing out of vehicle windows, food peelings of any nature, sugar cane loaders leaving sugar cane leaves heaped on the road and vendors leaving pineapple or sugar cane peelings heaped all over are all subject to fines under the law.