Greening Uganda towards sustainable cities and communities

__________________

OPINION

By Andrew Bogere Mutumba

Making the cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable remains central to Uganda’s aspiration as per SDG Goal Eleven.

That outcome remains elusive if not out of sight. Promises are plentiful; delivery is the gap that needs closing.

This leaves the communities exposed to risks and challenges towards Sustainable development, which is based on three fundamental pillars: social, economic and environmental.

After the Bududa tragedy, the Daily Monitor reported that mudslides buried an estimated 350 people alive in Nametsi parish.

On the Kampala floods, the Uganda Red Cross Society estimated that one thousand families in Kampala were displaced.

When the Kiteezi landfill failed, a local daily of August 12, 2024, reported that the death toll jumped to 23. These statistics manifest a cycle of disaster among communities, socioeconomic challenges, where pledges and weakened follow-throughs, supposed to enforce environmental safeguards, don’t exist.

Different donors and development partners have timely offered funds to the affected areas, where communities should pay attention towards anticipated accountability. Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, Resettlement Action Plans, compensation schedules, contracts, payments, and complaint logs should be open or transparent and not only on request.

Tie money to proof so that funds are released only when an independent party confirms what was built, what improved, and who benefited. Publish the full record from start to finish.

There is need to recognise community oversight in environmental safeguards; it is a strength. Local monitors deserve resources, project information should be translated, whistleblowers, and every complaint needs a visible resolution path.

Delivery discipline also matters. Quality implementation and timelines in central and local government, consequences for slippage, and recognition for on-time, high-quality work keep momentum.

Records that can be checked later ensure that designs, data, and decisions have the required Political will and commitment

Continuous public awareness: the community should pay attention to various policies in place.

Donors and the government must publish environmental and social impact assessments, resettlement plans, and contracts in full.

Mandated stakeholders should agree to independent verification and clear lines of responsibility.

Communities need to commit to constructive monitoring and fair feedback. Development partners continue funding while following anticipated results.  

Cleaner air, safer settlements, and healthier ecosystems are well within reach. That standard honours the donor, respects the taxpayer, and protects the citizen.

Green accountability is not about promises on paper but about protecting Ugandan lives, land, and future.

As a local daily of September 18, 2025, reported, aid flows to Uganda are drying up amid mismanagement and broken trust.

Together, these voices show that without transparency, independent oversight, and community participation, donor funds risk being wasted.

With them, Uganda can turn pledges into genuine green impact — building resilience today and sustainable cities and communities for generations to come.

The writer is an MBA CPA finalist at Makerere University Business School