Traders in Kampala under their umbrella body, Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA), have threatened not to pay taxes to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) if the potholed city roads are not fixed as a matter of urgency.   

The threat comes in the wake of a public campaign on social media under the hashtag #KampalaPotholeExhibition where people shared photos of what had been left of some roads in and around Kampala.

The traders say they have lost business due to bad roads and also have to incur costs to repair goods vehicles and salon cars damaged by potholes.

Kampala Capital City Traders' Association (KACITA), has vowed to mobilize its members to protest over the poor state of city roads by withholding the payment of taxes. The chairperson of KACITA, Thadeus Musoke Nagenda explained that traders pay a lot of money on taxes but have not seen what is done with the money by the authorities.  

He was disappointed that instead, the traders had to incur huge expenses because of bad roads. This includes repairing cars that are damaged by the potholes in the city.

Indeed, some of the traders in Kampala told C.O.U Family TV that potholes are a big challenge to their businesses during the transportation of their goods, adding that KCCA has not done enough to maintain the roads promptly.

Nagenda said KACITA is also exploring legal means to address the persistent challenge of bad roads. He suggested that if the Government feels overwhelmed, it can hand over the responsibility of constructing and maintaining city roads.

In December 2022, Simon Kasyate, the Spokesperson of Kampala Capital City Authority said that under the “Smart City Initiative, many roads in Kampala will be overhauled and reconstructed since they have outlived their lifetime.

But Kampala Lord Mayor of Kampala Erias Lukwago claims that the KCCA road rehabilitation budget had been drastically reduced from 780 billion to 10 billion shs. And during the Ed-al-Fitr celebrations in Kampala last week, Lukwago said that the 6 billion that the government has released to KCCA for road repairs was a drop in the ocean.

KCCA Deputy Executive Director, David Luyimbazi said that the KCCA roads budget is inadequate and he passionately appealed to the Government to increase the allocation.

The KCCA 2023 Master Plan for roads and drainage construction which comprises 31 roads, was launched in February 2023 and is expected to close in September, according to the road map.

Kampala Capital City Traders' Association (KACITA), is a business support association that aims to facilitate trade, bring together the business community, and mobilize them into a viable, organized, and socially sustainable marketplace.

Gloria