Kampala Capital City Authority has stepped up drainage works across the city as Uganda prepares for increased rainfall during the September-December 2026 season.
The Ministry of Water and Environment has warned of a high chance of El Niño conditions, raising concern over flooding in parts of Kampala that often suffer during heavy rains.
KCCA Deputy Executive Director Benon Kigenyi said the authority has increased preventive works before the rains intensify.
“We cannot stop the rain, but we can prepare Kampala to manage it better,” Kigenyi said during an appearance on UBC Star TV on August 10, 2026.
He said KCCA has identified 69 flood-prone spots across the city and is monitoring and maintaining drainage channels in those areas.
Kampala has about 212 kilometres of primary and secondary drainage channels. These include 77.88 kilometres of primary drains and 134.46 kilometres of secondary drains.
The city also has about 700 kilometres of community and tertiary drainage.
Kigenyi said KCCA has carried out manual and mechanised maintenance on 52.23 kilometres of primary and secondary drainage channels.
The works have covered Nakivubo, Lubigi, Nakamiro, Kinawataka and Nalukolongo channels.
KCCA also built 4.47 kilometres of tertiary and community drains across the five city divisions during the last financial year.
The authority constructed four bridges at key drainage crossings in Soweto, Eliana, Natete and Kayunga Channel near CID Kibuli.
Work has also started on Nsoba and Kiwunya drainage channels under the Kampala City Roads Rehabilitation Project.
At Lubigi, KCCA has completed compensation for people affected by the project. This clears the way for work on the remaining 980 metres of the channel.
Desilting is also continuing.
Kigenyi said the interventions have reduced flooding in Bwaise, Bunga-Soya and Kansanga.
KCCA has installed 900mm culverts at 15 crossings along Allen and Sebaana roads to reduce flash floods.
In the city centre, work on a drainage culvert along Ben Kiwanuka Road is expected to improve storm-water flow.
The authority is also upgrading drainage along Namirembe Road.
The works include a drainage structure about two metres wide and 1.5 metres deep to carry water from the Luwum Street non-motorised transport corridor towards Nakivubo Channel.
Kigenyi, however, said drainage works alone would not solve Kampala’s flooding problem.
He blamed part of the problem on rubbish dumped on roads, open spaces and in drainage channels.
“Garbage dumped on roads, in open spaces or directly into drainage channels eventually blocks the system and contributes to flooding,” he said.
He urged residents to keep drainage channels clear and dispose of waste properly.
Kigenyi also said KCCA has cleared waste that accumulated after the National Cleaning Day on July 25, 2026.
He said the exercise generated more waste than the city handles on an ordinary day as residents, businesses and institutions joined the clean-up.
KCCA placed the waste at temporary collection points before transporting it to the Buyala Waste Management Facility.
The authority deployed 15 extra trucks from private contractors and extended collection to day and night shifts.
It also placed temporary skips in areas that generated large amounts of waste and strengthened community reporting.
Kigenyi said KCCA now cleans 401 roads every day and another 54 roads periodically.
The weekly Weyonje community clean-up campaign also continues across Kampala.
KCCA plans to strengthen parish-level waste collection and aims to allocate about one truck to each parish.
The authority also plans to buy 10 more trucks during the 2026/27 financial year.
KCCA is also developing a Material Resource Recovery Facility at Buyala to support waste sorting, recycling, recovery and reuse.
Meanwhile, rehabilitation of the former Kiteezi landfill is continuing.
Kigenyi said at least 40 per cent of the site has been rehabilitated, while the completed section has been handed back to KCCA.
