KAMPALA – A prime piece of real estate along the busy Jinja Road, once home to the Electoral Commission headquarters, has been transformed into an overgrown wasteland, serving as a stark visual reminder of the stalled Kampala Flyover project.
The site was cleared several years ago to make way for the ambitious multi-lane flyover, a project designed to decongest one of the city’s busiest corridors. The Electoral Commission offices were subsequently relocated to a new premises on 7th Street in Industrial Area to facilitate the construction.
However, with the flyover project now at a standstill due to reported funding and contractual delays, the land has been left abandoned. Nature has quickly reclaimed the plot, which is now covered in tall grass, shrubs, and weeds, creating an eyesore in the heart of the city’s commercial hub.
“The area was cleared with a lot of promise and fanfare. We were told it was for development that would ease our daily traffic nightmares,” said John Mutebi, a taxi driver who plies the Jinja Road route daily. “Now, it’s just a bush. It’s become a dumping ground for rubbish and a hiding place for rodents. It’s the opposite of development.”
The Kampala Flyover Project, which was initially funded by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), was envisioned as a key solution to the city’s chronic traffic congestion. The stalling of the project has not only left this central plot derelict but has also exacerbated the very traffic problems it was meant to solve.
Urban planners and business owners in the area have expressed frustration at the wasted potential. “This is some of the most valuable land in Kampala. Letting it sit idle and overgrown for years is a significant economic loss for the city,” noted Sarah Nalwoga, an urban development consultant. “If the flyover project is delayed indefinitely, the authorities could consider temporary measures to utilize the space, perhaps for paid parking or a green public space, rather than letting it remain a blight.”
The Ministry of Works and Transport has previously cited complex procurement processes and the need for revised funding agreements as reasons for the delay. However, for commuters and residents who navigate the congested Jinja Road daily, the overgrown plot stands as a silent symbol of postponed promises and stalled progress.
Efforts to get a renewed timeline for the project from relevant government authorities were unsuccessful by the time of this publication.
