Parliament Probes Status of Newly Created Cities as Minister Magyezi Promises Action Report
Kampala, Uganda – August 5, 2025 – The status of Uganda’s newly created cities came under scrutiny during a recent parliamentary plenary session, with lawmakers raising concerns over inadequate planning, financing, and implementation of urban governance structures.
The Minister of Local Government, Hon. Raphael Magyezi, acknowledged the gaps and requested one month to present a comprehensive action-taken report on key issues including urban policy, governance structures, and financing of the new cities.
Hon. Magyezi noted that while the government has steadily increased funding to cities, leading to improved local revenue collection, significant challenges remain, particularly in the areas of development planning and infrastructure setup.
Raising the alarm on the consequences of poor urban planning, Hon. Edson Rugumayo (Youth MP, Western) reminded the House that the creation of new cities was intended to ease the burden on Kampala. “If we make a mistake of not planning properly, then we shall fail,” Rugumayo warned.
During the session, Hon. Abed Bwanika also highlighted that the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) has not yet allocated funds for the development of physical plans for most cities. “For those that have plans, funding was provided by development partners,” he stated.
Bwanika further criticized the government for failing to facilitate the relocation of district local governments to new headquarters or to help cities establish functional administrative offices.
Parliament approved the creation of 15 new cities on April 28, 2020, but to date, only 10 have been operationalised. The cities of Entebbe, Moroto, Nakasongola, Kabale, and Wakiso are still pending full implementation.
As the debate continues, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Among, received consultations from Minister Magyezi, underscoring the urgency to resolve the structural and financial bottlenecks affecting the cities’ functionality.
