President Yoweri Museveni expressed his satisfaction about the new infrastructure constructed in Mubende district under the multi-billion Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) projected .
“I am happy to be here today to commission the road and market projects. The roads are clean, the town is well-organized, and this is going to attract more business people to come and work here,” a jovial Museveni accompanied by his daughter Natasha , stated .
Museveni was officially commissioning infrastructure projects completed under the Uganda USMID led by the Project Coordinator Dr. Isaac Mutenyo and implemented under the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban development .
The President, who was on a regional tour to assess the progress of wealth creation initiatives and the implementation of the Parish Development Model in Greater Mubende, warned local government authorities against excessive taxation of market vendors.
“I have heard complaints about high taxes. If you overtax the people, they will abandon the town. Don’t be too greedy,” President Museveni warned.
He also emphasized that the new market is intended to benefit the less privileged, urging the affluent to respect this purpose.
Museveni said that urban growth stems from rural productivity. He gave the example of Masaka city which grew due to its coffee exports, noting that in 1963 he participated in the organization of cattle keepers in Rushere, which led to the growth of a sustainable dairy economy and eventually, a thriving urban area.
“I want Mubende to follow a similar model—strong village-based constituencies that generate income. Every household should have food and a source of sustainable income,” he said.
The Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, informed the President that Mubende Municipal Council received UGX 63 billion under the USMID program over the past five years. With this funding, the municipality has constructed 8.394 kilometers of tarmacked roads, complete with street lighting, drainage systems and signage.
“These developments have significantly enhanced security and enabled extended business hours, thereby boosting the local economy,” Nabakooba reported.
A new taxi park and market facility were constructed at a cost of UGX 13.98 billion. The market is expected to provide employment opportunities for over 100,000 people and support the transport sector by functioning as a central hub for public transit.
Nabakooba said that although Mubende Municipality joined the USMID –AF late ,it has not only caught up but outperformed the other 33 local governments under the USMID Programme.
“This is a remarkable feat that deserves our full recognition and celebration. Mubende Municipality attained the highest average annual performance score of 79.2% over the five years of the Programme. The performance score is very important in the USMID program because it determines the amount of funds a Local government receives annually as the development grant, Nabakooba said .
She attributed Mubende’s outstanding performance to the good leadership and dedication of the Municipality’s technical teams, political leadership, and the community.
Mubende Municipality received a total of UGX 61.6 billion, with which it has successfully implemented infrastructure projects under four contracts that delivered: a taxi park with 30 parking lots and 148 vendor lock ups, a market with a capacity of 128 stalls, Mayor’s gardens with sports facilities and a total of 8.8 kmof paved roads with street parking, cycle lanes, parking facilities and greening.
These works were undertaken by the following contractors, Armpass Technical Services Ltd, a Ugandan owned company – 3.318 km of road at UGX 15.8 billion;China Wu Yi Company Ltd – 2.646 km of road at UGX 14.9 billion;China Railway No.3 Engineering Co. Ltd – 2.43 km of road at UGX 13.7 billion, and Scaffold Engineering & Constructions Ltd. construction of Central Taxi Park, Market and Gardens at UGX 2.87 billion.
All these projects were ably supervised by UB Consulting Ltd.
The impact is real
According to Nabakooba the social economic impacts of these investments include improved mobility for traders and the public.
“More working hours and public safety due to street lighting, and the night economy has grown. On safety, reports indicate that Second Link Road, which used to he a harbour for insecurity especially females now walk freely with no fear due to the lighting,” she added.
“New businesses, better buildings, and growing revenue from street parking. Today i am happy to report that the municipality collects 6.5bn in local revenue from the meagre 500M they used to collect 5yrs ago. This is real growth, Nabakooba told the audience .
Mubende is no longer just a transit town. It is fast becoming a model of what effective decentralization, strategic planning, and performance-based urban investment can achieve.
The minister said that in the new proposed phase which has already been submitted to the president for approval ,the ministry plans to bring on board USMID all the other Municipalities in the country. This will enable them receive similar gains that the program has impacted to Mubende and the 32 other local governments.
