USING TERRITORIAL PLANNING AS A TOOL TO
STRENGTHEN URBAN – RURAL LINKAGES IN UGANDA.

Presentation at the first Global Symposium on Urban andTerritorial Planning and the Spatial Planning Platform Meeting(30th July, 2018 – 2nd August, 2018) in Fukuoka, Japan.

By
Kayom Wilson (PhD).

Introduction – TP in Uganda.
1.Has Territorial Planning (TP) been carried out inUganda?

1. Partlyyes

2. Has TP been formally adopted in Uganda?

2. No

3. Is the IG-UTP already localized and being used inUganda?

3. No

4. Is the Ugandan planning system ready for Territorialplanning?
5. What achievements have so far been realized throughTP as a tool for strengthening urban – rural linkages inUganda?

4. Notquite

5. Notmuch

The case for urban-rural linkages in Uganda

He TT
Agriculture
Settlements

Tourism

Industry& Trade

Protected
Areas

Energy &Minerals

The Struggle for Land

Territorial planning strengthens urban –rural linkages.
Case examples from Uganda: (1).The Planning Studio in Arua, Uganda based on
the MetroHUB methodology (20 – 22 March 2018).
Gulu to be more accessible toMomAddisMombasa and Djibouti
via Juba

secondary growth pole
Relieving pressure on Kampala

Case example 2: Physical Development Plan (2015) for theAlbertine Graben in Uganda.
Over 70% of Uganda's tourism revenue is from the Albertine Graben.

Case example 3. The 2012 Kampala plan attempted territorial
approach but falls short of many requirements.

TP in Uganda – opportunities cont…
(1).Regional

andinternationalinstruments:• International instruments Uganda hassigned and ratified are many, including:a) Rio Declaration and the United
Nations Agenda 21,b) UN and the Africa Land Policy
Framework and Guidelinesc) African Union Declaration on Land
Issues and Challenges in Africad) Food
Agriculture
Organisation
Voluntary Guidelines on responsible
governance of tenure of land,fisheries and Forestse) 2015 SDGsf) Habitat III, Quito declaration (NUA).

2.1995 Uganda Constitution provides alegal basis for TP(a)The Environmental legislations inUganda provides for integration /mainstreaming of environmental issues
into development.
(b) Other legislations.
3.Multilateral and Bilateral Partners andProgrammes exist: The World Bank (WB),
Cities Alliance (CA), European Union (EU),
Africa Development Bank (AfDB)(a).(USMID, ARSDP, CEDP, KIIDP-The
Second Kampala Institutional andInfrastructure
Development
Project(Kiidp-2),
UgandaResilientCity
Initiative/Municipal
Development
Strategy/Future Cities Africa

TP in Uganda – Challenges.
1) Temptations to politicize TP process in Uganda.
2) Uganda’s decentralization policy.
3) Absence of NSP for Uganda.
4) Complex land tenure systems (mailo tenure,communal land etc)
5) Political and security unrest in neighboringcountries.
6) Weak legislative and institutional frameworks eg.
strategic environment assessment in Uganda.
7) Absence of full integrated planning in Uganda.
8) Social and cultural factors (Tribal boundaries,ethnic conflicts etc)
9) Governance issues – eg. Platforms to allow local
govts grow.

TP in Uganda – Challenges.
1) Very weak capacity especially at the local level2) Weak sectoral performance.

TP – Lessons from Uganda’s experience.
• Practical contact with TP is required
through capacity building/mentoringby other experienced colleagues whowent through a related process.
• Physical planning needs to be fully
integrated
and/orlinkedwith
economic and social development
planning and financing at all levels,
including local governments.
• Innovative capacity enhancement
strategies/plans Eg. make planningself-funding.
• Planning based on value system(Vernacular architecture/settlements,indigenous knowledge or what?

TP – Lessons from Uganda’s experience CONT…..

• Urban and territorial planning needs to consider regional context.
• Uganda is at a cross roads on infrastructure and geo-politics between 9 otherneighboring countries.
Uganda - South Sudan border point –Oraba/Kaya Border towns.

TP – Lessons from Uganda’s experience CONT…..
• TP relieves pressure on Kampala thru:
a. Karuma-Gulu-Lira becoming secondary
growth pole as the MF hydros come online
b. Infrastructure (SGR) Gulu to Mombasa– and eventually Djibouti via Juba andAddis.
c. Road and rail from Mbarara –Bihanga(Fort Portal) via Hoima to Gulu.
• All routes will not have to pass Kampala
if there is a good network. connectivity
between south west and north.

Strengthening urban-rural linkages through territorial planning.
• Territorial planning approach will enable
other local centres to be included instrategies and plans.
• TP embraces Intermediate Cities which
offer services to rural areas (Jobs, housing,etc) providing a market for agricultural
produce and extend basic services to therural areas.
• Defining the role of each urban/rural area
(Food area, tourism, education etc).
• Efficient and effective utilization ofresources.

The integrated approach, combining social, economic andenvironmental aspects.
Vertical and horizontal integration

Karamoja
region inUganda

Concluding observations

Kampala city

1. Territorial planning is a key tool forstrengthening urban-rural linkages.
2.Choose the right methodological approach(es)for territorial planning based on the goals of theexercise.
2.Contextualize
territorialplanning–
Ugandanisation of territorial planning.
3. Territorial planning may have a great goal(strengthening urban-rural linkages) but if thestakeholders are not well selected, it would fail towork (what instruments – metropolitan
cartography OR what?)
4. Physical planning methods in Uganda are notfully in harmony with the territorial planning
takeaways.