UgandaToday: Kawempe Residents Cry Foul as Gaboggola Road Works Render Homes Inaccessible
By Uganda Today Reporter
A Road Project Born of “Mutual Understanding”
Residents of Kawempe 1 Parish, Kakungulu Village in Kawempe Division are raising alarm over the ongoing construction of the Gaboggola Road, a slightly over one-kilometre stretch linking Kanyanya Gaz Petrol Station on Gayaza Road through the swampy Kiyanja Valley to Ttula Road. What was initially welcomed as long-overdue infrastructure development has, one year on, turned into a source of anguish, with several households claiming their homes have been rendered uninhabitable.
The road project commenced last year under what local leaders describe as a “mutual understanding” between land-owning residents, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), and Kakungulu Village LC1 leadership. Under this arrangement, residents were to surrender portions of their land to allow for expansion of the road into a modern carriageway.
LC1 Clarifies the Scope of the Agreement
According to the LC1 Chairperson, Mr. Abbas Ssekanjako, the agreement was clear and limited in scope. “What was agreed upon was compensation in kind,” Mr. Ssekanjako told Uganda Today. “Where perimeter walls were affected by the expansion, they would be reconstructed. There was no agreement for cash compensation for land.”
Low-Lying Residents Trapped by Raised Road Levels
However, residents—particularly those living in the low-lying sections of Kiyanja Valley—say the reality on the ground has gone far beyond that understanding. The leveling of the road using murram soil has raised the road surface significantly, leaving several homes sunken below road level.
In some cases, access points to houses have been completely blocked, while others are now prone to flooding, effectively rendering the buildings unusable, as seen in the accompanying photograph.
“We can no longer enter or use our houses,” one resident lamented. “The road was raised, but our homes were left like pits. This is no longer about walls; our entire buildings are useless.”
Residents Demand Compensation from KCCA
The affected residents are now demanding formal compensation from KCCA, arguing that the project has deprived them of the use and value of their properties. They contend that road expansion budgets routinely provide for land acquisition and compensation, making the current situation both unjust and exploitative.
Local administrators and residents alike believe KCCA is leveraging community goodwill to acquire land at no cost, despite budgetary provisions meant to cushion such losses.
KCCA Silent as Pressure Mounts
Efforts by Uganda Today to obtain a response from KCCA were unsuccessful. Repeated attempts to contact the Director of Engineering and Technical Services—whose docket includes valuation and compensation for affected properties—proved futile, as day-long phone inquiries went unanswered.
A Repeating Pattern in Kawempe
Residents further point to a precedent in the same area during the construction of Lumansi Road, which connects Kyebando–Gayaza Road to Ttula Road. They say a similar arrangement was executed then, and the adverse consequences are now repeating themselves.
“This model must stop,” said a community leader. “Development should not mean pushing citizens into loss and misery.”
Development Versus Displacement
As sentiments continue to run high in Kakungulu Village, pressure is mounting on KCCA to explain its approach, reassess the social and economic impact of the Gaboggola Road works, and address residents’ compensation demands before the standoff escalates further.
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