Benjamin Kumumanya, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, has said the gov’t is in plans to create social amenities in the new cities, something they couldn’t do before their boundaries had been created and certified.
“Apart from Hoima and Mbarara cities, we had to know which town council, sub-county or township accepted to be part of the new cities. This was a voluntary exercise. Whoever wanted to join the city, we asked them to go back and make a resolution and their own request but not us to force them,” Kumumanya said.
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The Ministry acknowledged that all the programmes and projects, which had been going on in the newly absorbed townships, town councils and sub-counties, shall keep on but the planning for the new cities in their entirety starts this month.
The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Board, in relation to the above, made mention of of a program to create new water and swerage systems before operationalisation of the new cities. This however is yet to happen.
According to Dr Chris Ebal, the Board chairperson, it is because of that reason that NWSC constructed and rehabilitated water treatment plants in Lira, Jinja and Arua cities.
“Mbarara and Masaka cities have a project under design to pump water from Lake Victoria through Rakai District. This water will also supply Isingiro District.” Dr Ebal said.
Construction of that project is expected to start next year.
Dr Ebal further said that Mbale City, which is surrounded by towns such as Sironko, Budaka and Butaleja, needs to improve its water supply through a World Bank-funded project aimed at tapping water from Mt Elgon.
