By Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is appealing to Parliament for an annual budget allocation of Shs35 billion to establish general hospitals in each of the city’s five divisions.
The request was presented to the Parliamentary Health Committee on April 3, 2025, by KCCA and Metropolitan Affairs Minister Hon. Kyofatogabye Kabuye, alongside senior KCCA officials. They emphasized the urgent need to ease pressure on regional and national referral hospitals by transforming existing city health facilities into general hospitals.
Dr. Sarah Zalwango, Acting Director for Public Health at KCCA, said the authority currently operates two Health Centre IVs, four Health Centre IIIs, and two Health Centre IIs. Many of these facilities, she noted, are overstretched and serving beyond their intended capacity.
“Upgrading these KCCA-managed health centers to city hospital status would expand service delivery, create referral buffers from lower-level health centers, and ease congestion at top-tier hospitals,” Dr. Zalwango told MPs.
However, she noted that to successfully implement the plan, additional land is needed—particularly for facilities like Kisenyi HCIV, Kitebi HCIII, Bukoto HCII, and Kisugu HCIII. Dr. Zalwango also pointed out that repairs and maintenance of existing health facilities have been neglected for the past three budget cycles.
Minister Kyofatogabye stressed that the move is long overdue, citing the high volume of patients handled at facilities like Kawaala HCIV, which he said rivals some national hospitals such as Kawempe in maternity service delivery.
“Our city handles a daily population of over five million, including people from distant districts like Lira and Kigezi. City hospitals would help manage this demand,” he said.
Lawmakers expressed support for the proposal but raised concerns over poor waste management in Kampala, especially the unregulated release of sewage into drainage channels. They warned that unless this is addressed, disease prevalence in the city will remain high.
Hon. Florence Nebanda (NRM, Butaleja District) highlighted the recent city floods as a clear indication of the sewerage crisis. “You can’t promote tourism or trade in a capital that floods and loses lives to preventable infrastructure failures,” she said.
Hon. Josephine Bebona (Bundibugyo Woman MP) shared her own experience of encountering raw sewage in downtown Kampala, which she said severely disrupted business operations.
Currently, KCCA’s Directorate of Public Health and Environment needs Shs186.98 billion to function effectively in the 2025/2026 fiscal year. However, only Shs15.31 billion—just 8% of the requirement—has been allocated, leaving a funding gap of Shs171.67 billion.
