Dear Editor,
Uganda under the National Resistance Movement (NRM), has witnessed major changes in Kampala, but one issue that continues to concern many citizens is the protection of public spaces and public property.
City Square, also known as Constitutional Square, has served Kampala for generations. For more than a Century, it has remained one of the few open spaces in the heart of the city where ordinary people can sit, wait for appointments and take a break from the congestion and activity of Kampala.
That is why reports of plans to develop the space have generated concern.
Kampala already has a shortage of public parks, gardens and open spaces. As the city continues to expand, these spaces become even more important.
It is also difficult to understand why Government officials, who travel abroad and admire well-maintained public squares and parks in the countries they visit, sometimes appear less interested in protecting similar spaces at home.
Development is important, but development should not mean sacrificing every piece of public land for commercial buildings. If there is a genuine need for new hotels, shopping centers, offices or apartments, Kampala still has many areas that can accommodate such investment without destroyingsome of the city’s remaining public spaces.
At the same time, if the Government is serious about developing Nakasongola or establishing a new urban center there, it should ensure that such plans are properly designed, publicly explained and implemented in a way that benefits ordinary Ugandans. We should be able to develop new cities while also protecting the history, character and public spaces of existing ones.
City Square should, therefore, be preserved and improved as a public space rather than converted into another commercial development. Uganda needs modern cities, but it also needs places where ordinary citizens can breathe, gather and enjoy their own repertoire.
Abigail Amoding
Buwaise
