How GKMA-UDP Is Transforming Mukono through Roads, Jobs and Urban Development

Mukono District is experiencing a growing wave of infrastructure and socio-economic development under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GKMA-UDP), with investments targeting roads, economic facilities, environmental resilience and stronger local government institutions.

The GKMA-UDP is a five-year Government of Uganda programme running from FY2023/24, with financing from the World Bank, Agence Française de Development (AFD) and the Government of Uganda. Its overall goal is to improve institutional capacity while increasing access to infrastructure and services across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.

According to Ms. Edemachu Monica, Undersecretary for Greater Kampala Metropolitan Affairs, the programme seeks to address infrastructure gaps, rapid urbanisation, economic development and service-delivery challenges affecting communities in the metropolitan area.

The programme is built around four key areas: Mobility and Accessibility; Resilience and Environment; Workspace and Job Creation; and Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building.

Under Mobility and Accessibility, GKMA-UDP is supporting road infrastructure intended to improve the movement of people and goods.

In Mukono, interventions include roads around Mukono Municipality, while projects such as Ntenjeru–Bule Road, Kigombya–Seeta, Nakayaga–Seeta–Namataba and Kayanja–Nakayaga form part of the broader infrastructure investment.

The 7.8-kilometre Ntenjeru–Bule Road, for example, entered implementation in 2025, with the project aimed at upgrading the road to bituminous standards.

Better roads are expected to improve connectivity to markets, workplaces and public services while supporting trade and the movement of agricultural produce.

The Workspace and Job Creation pillar focuses on markets, commercial spaces, artisan hubs and other economic facilities.

In Mukono, planned interventions include the Kame Valley Market and Kyetume slaughter slab and skilling centre, which are intended to provide better spaces for economic activity while creating opportunities for traders, artisans, youth and women.

The programme also addresses drainage, flood management, environmental protection and sustainable urban planning under a resilient pillar.

These interventions are increasingly important as Mukono urbanises and demand for roads, drainage, markets and other infrastructure grows. GKMA-UDP identifies improved drainage and physical planning as important components of building climate resilience.

GKMA-UDP is also investing in institutional capacity, enabling local governments to improve planning, coordination, monitoring and service delivery.

For FY2024/25, Mukono District reported receiving approximately UGX 12.71 billion under the programme—about UGX 3.61 billion for Institutional Strengthening and UGX 9.09 billion under the Metropolitan Development Grant.

However, not all projects are complete. Several remain under construction or at planning and implementation stages. Mukono District itself reviewed GKMA-UDP performance during a leadership retreat in November 2025, highlighting the programme's continuing implementation.

As the five-year programme progresses, GKMA-UDP is positioning itself as an important driver of better roads, economic opportunities, environmental resilience and improved public-service delivery in Mukono.