Makindye Ssabagabo

• There is a need to bridge both the knowledge and service gap between innovators like manufacturers, financial institutions and communities embracing green homes. The pilot will generate knowledge and technological breakthroughs on the one hand, and industrial applications and commercial adoption on the other.
• The city is ready to undertake the pilot project under a public private partnership given the conducive legal and regulatory frameworks that protect and support innovators and their clients. The successful implementation of this project will greatly improve the sustainability, aesthetics and liveability in the city while building green jobs for residents.

• The biggest challenge the municipality faces is the unplanned and informal physical developments taking place, especially in the upcoming peri-urban areas of the municipality, due to rapid urbanisation coupled with the increasing influx of people from Kampala.

• The overall housing situation in the municipality is characterized by inadequate housing in terms of quality and quantity both in rural and urban areas. According to the Uganda Household Survey 2021, urban areas including Makindye Ssabagabo had a higher percentage of iron sheet roofed owner-occupied dwellings (84%) than rural areas. 

• According to the Uganda Household Survey 2019/20, the absolute numbers of persons living in poverty in urban areas has increased from 1 million people in 2009/10 to 1.3 million people in 2019/20. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen the percentage of the urban poor jump from 11.7% to 11.9%.

• The greenhouse gas emissions associated with residential buildings and homes are largely a result of the following conditions: the unsustainable production and use of building materials like clay or earth bricks, timber coupled with unsustainable building techniques, indiscriminate disposal of solid waste and wastewater, failure to harvest rainwater, dependency on biomass for domestic energy, failure to adopt energy saving technologies and lack of green spaces.

• The city project team will be available to respond to specific questions from innovators and provide some dedicated time for each of the finalists.

• Access to relevant data sets will be made available accordingly, including: 
  • Municipal Physical Development Plan.
  • Reports of the green home digital survey.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions report.
  • Makindye Ssabagabo Municipal Council Local Economic Development Strategy 2022-2027
  • Uganda Population and Housing Census Report 2014
• Facilitate introductions to relevant stakeholders for this challenge, including: 
  • The Mayor
  • City manager
  • Relevant city technical staff
  • Other local leaders
  • Uganda Green Building Council
  • City residents and community members

• Housing developers
• ESG investors
• Green home technologists or building material developers
• Academia

The city has identified two potential demonstration sites; Busabala or Nansana.  Further details of the sites will be shared with selected finalists.

The city hosts the biggest housing project for the affluent class in Uganda. The project funded by the National Social Security Fund comprises 2741 units marketed as high-end apartments with four bedrooms, a CCTV security system, swimming pool, Wi-Fi, gym, club house and elevators. The project will cost USD 400 million over a ten year period.

The city also hosts the biggest specialised hospital in the country that is under construction in Lubowa under a public private partnership involving the government of Uganda. The project will cost USD 379 million.

The city has prioritised paving of roads, since 2019, 30 kilometres of earth roads have been upgraded to bitumen standards, Currently, 17% of the total road network of approximately 354 kms is tarmacked. In order to upgrade more roads, the city is currently procuring a road tarmacking unit in a phased manner.

According to the Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy, 2017/18 – 2030/31, embracing planned green cities will increase worker productivity from USD 977.8 to at least 50% at USD 5,217.65 for new workers. In addition economic flows from industrial cities and increased worker productivity from subsistence farmer level will increase from USD 3.06 billion/year in 2020 to USD 5.28billion/year Cumulative = USD 44.9 billion, equivalent to UGX 163.88 trillion over 10 years. 

Full implementation of the Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy interventions will enhance national GDP by 10 percent, deliver an additional 4 million green jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent relative to the conventional growth pathway.

Makindye Ssabagabo is one of the fastest growing areas in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area in Uganda with a rapid population growth rate of 10% and the highest population density in the country. The municipality borders the capital city Kampala and has a combination of urbanized, affluent, less affluent and informal settlement areas. The challenges of growth, development and servicing of Kampala have triggered a sprawl of growth centres in the municipality. Following a series of consultations involving different stakeholders, the city is ready to undertake this challenge. The successful implementation of this project will greatly improve the sustainability, aesthetics and liveability in the city while building green jobs for residents.