A short tale of Natete’s dance with the floods

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As the drizzles hit the iron sheets in Kigaga Zone, I took my first steps into this mini ghetto in Natete. The residents wore faces of despair as they anticipated a heavy downpour. Once again, water would surge through the clogged drainage systems, flooding their homes and businesses.

Alice, who had lived in the area for over 30 years, stood helplessly on her doorstep. Her soaked laundry business, just a breath away from the clogged drainage, was about to take a beating from the flooding rain. Her children huddled on the few dry spots left in the house.

Her story was the same as many others in the area, where poor drainage, blocked by plastic waste and outdated culverts, had turned their lives into a constant battle against the elements. The residents of this zone are extremely frustrated with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

Plastic waste leads to blockage of drainage. (Photo by Francis Emukule)

Budala Ssemakula, a long-time resident, voiced what everyone was thinking. “KCCA has failed us! They’ve let the drainage systems rot, and now we’re paying the price!”

Israel Mutyaba, the Secretary of Kigaga Zone, stated that the authority has continued approving the construction of several illegal buildings that have impeded the drainage system in Natete. “They approved that building across the road, and now it’s blocking the drainage! We warned them, but they didn’t listen. And now look at this!” he exclaimed.

However, Daniel Nuweabine, KCCA's Head of Public and Corporate Affairs, stated that they have continuously unblocked the drainage systems. “We’ve been working on reducing flooding,” he explained, pointing out that their efforts had already decreased the time it took for water to recede after a downpour. But his words fell on deaf ears.

Ssula Kasibante, the chairman of the Boda Boda riders, whose business has often been crippled by the floods, shared his frustration. “We are losing our livelihoods because you refuse to clean the drainage properly!”

(Photo by Francis Emukule)

The issue causing floods in Natete goes beyond drainage; it’s an urban planning problem, exacerbated by people building without following a proper plan.

While there are clearly defined rules and regulations, Flavia Bwire, Executive Secretary of the National Building Review Board, stated that the major problem stems from poor implementation of the law, even after some landowners have been given clear rules to follow.

"There are instances where a physical development plan has been stipulated, showing how the land is supposed to be used. A development permission, which allows one to use the land for a particular purpose, is granted in compliance with the development plan. Additionally, a building plan breaks down the details of how the construction is to happen," she explained.

However, she added that while everything may look good on paper, once someone is granted building permission and goes to the site, things change. "You reach a site, and everything being done is contrary to the building permission and the development plan," she noted.

A pressing question is why authorities are letting this happen. Bwire explained that some Ugandans exploit the lack of sufficient human resources to monitor building sites.

"There are more building sites than the number of people available to monitor them daily. It’s not easy to keep up with the monitoring. If you have one million buildings coming up today, the total number of civil servants in that area is less than one million. So, how effective can we be in enforcement?" she asked.

She also hinted at the issue of corruption, where some officials choose to turn a blind eye even when they encounter violations. This has fostered a culture of impunity among certain individuals who believe they are above the law.

"Enforcers go to the site and are met with, ‘Do you know who I am? I can make you lose your job,’" she explained. Unfortunately, when such acts are allowed to continue, the public pays the price.

Nevertheless, she stated that they are currently working to amend the law to include harsher penalties to deter people from breaking the law and to hold enforcers accountable.

"When you cross the line, you should feel it. We should not suffer in our own country because someone has built in a swamp or released waste into the drainage system."