Figure 1: Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality

Figure 1: Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality

Population density

The population density in Makindye Ssabagabo is 4,549 residents per km2 (Uganda Bureau of Statistics, 2021). The built-up area in 2010 was approximately 3,070 hectares. Now the trend of development has quadrupled that of 2010.

Socioeconomic conditions of residents

The residents of Makindye Ssabagabo are a diverse group of people. According to Uganda National Household Survey, the median monthly household income for Kampala residents was USD 176 (UGX 667,000).

The inhabitants of Makindye Ssabagabo, like many other municipalities in Uganda, are a heterogeneous mix of different ethnic groups although most are the Baganda. The most common language spoken in the municipality is Luganda.

In terms of social services, there has been an irregularity in the hierarchy of services provided, with health and education among the worst. These facilities are generally characterized by the lack of adequate supervision of services, especially those offered by the private sector; an absence of skilling institutions in the municipality; while the public institutions offering services operate from squalid buildings.

About Makindye Ssabagabo’s housing challenge

The manufacturing sector is more predominant in Kampala and the central region. The Municipal Physical Development Plan shows that 27 per cent of residents sampled in this region were employed by the manufacturing sector.

There is a high rate of unemployment as implied by the figures of the National Population and Housing Census of 2014. According to these figures, 17.3 per cent of the youth population were not in school and were jobless. About 68.7 per cent of the working population, defined as people 16–64 years, were employed. The high rate of unemployment and underemployment is revealed in the disguised activities of petty trading, hair dressing, meal hawking in trading centres, motorcycle taxis and the fetching of water.

According to the Uganda Household Survey 2019–2020, the absolute numbers of persons living in urban poverty increased from 1 million people in 2009–2010 to 1.3 million people in 2019–2020. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen the percentage of the urban poor jump from 11.7 per cent to 11.9 per cent. The number of urban households engaging in income generating activities fell from 51 per cent before the pandemic to 37 per cent now.

Infrastructure in Makindye Ssabagabo

With regard to infrastructure and utilities, only 45 km of 390.2 km of roads are paved. The non-paved roads are nonmotorable during the rainy season; generally, they lack drains, shoulders and have rough surfaces. Furthermore, 70 per cent of the roads lack the appropriate width. With Makindye Ssabagabo being a tourism destination there is great demand for improved roads, but this requires integrated planning. There is an absence of public parking, road safety and traffic management systems. In terms of water supply, 74.5 per cent of households are connected to the national grid. However, 47.4 per cent use public standpipes.