KISAKA TAKES SMART CITY STRATEGY MESSAGE TO MULAGO III

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka spent Saturday Morning with residents of Nsoba in Mulago, Kawempe division where she shared with them the plans of the authority.

During the engagement, Kisaka shared the aspirations of the Smart City that is aimed at transforming Kampala.

The phrase embraces the KCCA vision of being a vibrant, attractive and sustainable city and its mission of delivering quality services to the people of Kampala.

It is an operations strategy to include every stakeholder in what KCCA does in the city beautification campaign and to awaken a collective consciousness to what we all aspire for our city.

The goal of the strategy, according to Kisaka, is to create an appreciation of the interconnectivity between the core pillars of a Smart City that is Technology, Infrastructure and People (TIP).

“In Kampala we are embracing technology; whatever you are doing we now need to use technology. We have come up with a number of online systems to help deliver services faster,” Kisaka said.

Currently locals use online systems and apps to apply for building permits, request for sanitation services among others.

Under the Infrastructure Pillar, Kisaka says things like roads, lights, buildings and drainages must look smart and that is the essence of a smart city.

“The way we manage solid waste in our homes, the way drainages are maintained should be in a smart way. Proper waste management should start from our homes, we shouldn’t dump garbage in un gazzetted places,” Kisaka said.

She spoke of the last pillar of People wellbeing, and said that it is the most important pillar.

“We want people to work in smart ways and, live in a smart way. We are not chasing anyone from the city, smart City thinking takes care of everything and everyone,” Kisaka said.

The residents of Nsoba reported a number of challenges they are facing which the ED promised that will be addressed.

Some the challenges include, poor drainage, garbage, poor roads among others.

“It is good that we have known these things during the start of budgeting process. We will put them in the budget,” Kisaka said.

She revealed that through the Directorate of Public Health, KCCA is going to start sensitizing and educating the locals on proper waste management, smart city, good sanitation.

While responding to a number of requests made by the area local leaders, Kisaka said KCCA was going to increase on the number of times garbage from Mulago III is collected in a week to deal with the issue of poor waste disposal.

“We are going to improve on how we have been collecting garbage in Mulago III, and as your leaders have requested we are going to build two public toilets in this area, I would like to thank the landlords that have offered their land for construction of these toilets” Kisaka said

KCCA will further work with the landlords and leaders through the Weyonje program where the toilets will be emptied on a subsidized rate.

Kisaka also asked the residents to embrace the Parish Development Model (PDM), which she said it has come at the right time.

Pastor Nicholas Wafula, the Regional Director Development Associates International (DAI) an NGO that is helping transform the communities of Mulago III through equiping youth and women with skills and capital thanked the KCCA ED for having Nsoba East at heart and for sparing time to come visit the area.

"Mama you have made time to come visit Nsoba East and also to deliver a message of hope on some of our requests, thank you so much for honoring our invite. That means that you have Nsoba at heart" Wafula said