Our dear people of greater Kigezi,
I continue to associate my submission with the visionaries who are advocating for a city as I highlighted above.
The economic space in Uganda is greatly shrinking at high speed. Once you take a deep peep into the future, you will realize that Kigezi is going to be left in an isolated and dangerous state. Yet, it is a regional hub that neighbors other countries in the interlacustrine Region which include Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Tanzania.
Other regions whose major towns have been granted city status were for long at the same status like Kabale or below. If Kabale continues to be left behind, then nitweija kweshweka bwasheshire.
Rural to urban migration is real and we cannot afford to close our eyes to it. That is betrayal of our people who look forward to us to advance their interests. Those interests ultimately are our interests and responsibility.
Every single household is trying its level best to take their children to school. These are encouraged to do so. However, the question of where those children will go after they graduate and continuously find themselves without employment is not addressed. It is taken as a given. Little attention is being given to how the graduates and their families who sold everything to educate them will survive.
I submit that this is a serious political problem, a political quagmire and question that continues to be conveniently overlooked. Until when it will reach crisis of unmanageable levels and implode.
Therefore, operationalising Kabale City status will go along way in partially mitigating this problem.
And government funding for operationalisation of cities cannot get lacking when it comes to Kabale City after the others have been operationalised. Kigezi tiyo Maka.
People of Kigezi also pay taxes to the national treasury like others in the country. Asking for the operationalisation of the already granted city status is not asking too much. We as a people also deserve to be lifted from abject poverty.
No.No.No. I don’t agree with you on this. For a long time, Wakiso Municipality has demanded for a city status, but it has been frustrated for a long time.
A city has more benefits than some limitations.
For example, business activities multiply many folds, there’s infrastructural development, tourism industry is promoted, the surrounding areas benefit on transportation, restaurants and hotels increase, road network also increase, education facilities increase and because all the above, taxes may increase, which promotes better service deliveries eg water,electricity, health services and education to people to mention but a few.
Therefore if Kabale, became a city, many of the above I have talked about will prevail as below.
a) increased economic development in the entire region of Kigezi.
b) increased investment
c) increased government services from the city near to the people.
d) increased business and employment opportunities
e) transportation services for us will be easy and cheaper because of increased competition in transport businesses.
f) Improved road networks within the city, eg from Butobere to Nyabushabi to Muyumbu, Nyakagyera, Kyanamira etc.
g) Our products will get more market because of increased population of Kabale city*
h) Automatically, there will be increased job creation Therefore job opportunities in Kabale city and its environment.
i) Tourism will increase. Kabale as a city will be exposed to the whole world. If we get exposed leaders for example city mayors, they may benchmark with different urban areas, like Canada, Washington, London etc and this would result in the better working relationships with these cities. This would promote Kabale city to such world dynamics.
k) Kabale city will also gain from the central government. It will get some funds from the center.
l) Kaharo, Mwisi and part of Muyebe can easily be incorporated into the city as Divisions of the city or in the least be turned into a Town council. There are of course some benefits to this status.
There’s is alot we can advocate regarding benefits of a city status.
However let’s all be honest, clear, forward thinking and walk the talk about development. We need Kabale City as earlier as yesterday. There is no plausible excuse for continuing to procrastinate or be opposed to it. The latter is tantamount to the proverbial “cutting off of a tree branch on which the one cutting it is seated” or “shooting oneself in the foot”.
Both options have short term undesirable implications. The only logical way to go is operationalisation of the City Status for Kabale.
My further humble submission.
Dr. James Akampumuza Rutanga
Gamba nokora ebyentunguka
