Uganda has successfully secured more than $600 million in financial support from the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD) to address critical infrastructure needs and enhance waste management systems in the capital city, Kampala. This financial package, confirmed on Thursday by both the Ugandan government and the World Bank, is seen as a significant step toward resolving long-standing issues that have plagued the city’s development.
Kampala has been grappling with deteriorating road conditions and inefficient waste disposal, with residents increasingly voicing their concerns. Chronic underfunding from the central government has been blamed for the lack of progress. These challenges were tragically underscored last month when a garbage landslide at a landfill on the outskirts of the city buried homes as residents slept, resulting in at least 35 fatalities.
The World Bank will provide $566 million of the total package, primarily in the form of credit, while AFD will contribute $42.7 million. The funds are aimed at bridging significant infrastructure gaps in a city that has experienced rapid urban expansion in recent years.
This latest funding comes despite the World Bank’s decision last year to suspend new lending to Uganda in response to the country’s passage of an anti-gay law, which sparked international condemnation. In a statement,the World Bank clarified that the current funding had been approved before the lending ban took effect, allowing the projects to move forward. The aid is expected to have a transformative impact on Kampala’s infrastructure and overall development trajectory.
