Land subdivision outpaces planning as Wakiso's informal settlements spread

Wakiso District's transformation from a largely rural setting into an urban extension of Kampala has caused the emergence and expansion of informal settlements, according to district physical planners. Rising demand for affordable land, population growth, rural-urban migration and increasing land values are pushing residents into densely populated neighbourhoods where planning, access roads, drainage and housing standards are inadequate.

Ms Ruth Nakatudde, the Wakiso District principal physical planner, says the growth of informal settlements is being driven by demographic and economic pressures, with residents hunting for affordable plots close to the capital. Wakiso Sub-county, one of the district's 17 sub-counties, is among the fastest-growing areas because of its proximity to Kampala, with residents seeking to reduce transport costs. The result is a concentration of people in areas where physical planning has not kept pace with demand.

One consequence is land fragmentation, where large pieces of land are subdivided into increasingly smaller plots to make them affordable. Land brokers have been identified by planners as a major threat to orderly development, with some subdividing land in areas such as Naluvule, Wamala and Kayunga towns. Nakatudde says the problem is compounded by Uganda's land tenure system, particularly on Kabaka's mailo land, where transactions can take place without sufficient involvement of technical planning authorities. "In most cases, land is not surveyed. Owners just parcel out plots," she says.

Ms Rosemary Kaboneire, a senior physical planner at the Kyaddondo Ministry Zonal Office, says the problem transcends land sizes, noting that some small plots were created before current planning standards came into force. She says titles are no longer issued for substandard plots and that owners of small parcels may be advised to acquire adjoining land or consolidate their plots and survey them as one title. Ms Carolyn Ukethwengu Acen, who heads the Kyaddondo Ministry Zonal Office, says many informal settlements sit on Kabaka's land in areas including Nansana, Kawempe, Makindye/Ssabagabo, Kireka and Kasokoso, and warns the situation could worsen without action.

Wakiso has a Physical Development Plan approved in 2018 that provides a broad framework for development up to 2040, but Nakatudde acknowledges the district has lagged in preparing detailed local plans for every rapidly growing area, partly because of inadequate funding. Developments frequently take place before planning authorities intervene, and the district says it has inadequate enforcement personnel and is appealing for more government funding.

Mr Joseph Kayemba, communications officer at the Buganda Land Board, says owning land does not automatically give the owner the right to develop it as they choose, and calls on urban authorities to enforce physical planning and building control laws. He says the board is proposing an urban renewal approach under which existing informal settlements would be redeveloped through partnerships involving government, landowners, private developers and development partners, with residents rehoused in condominium units and issued titles. The proposal remains at consultation stage. In Nansana Municipality, physical planner Mr Simon Kiguli says the municipality is discouraging bungalow developments in Nansana and Nabweru divisions and promoting multi-storeyed buildings to accommodate more people and businesses on limited land.