In Kasanje, taxes are rising but service delivery, roads, all in ruins

A Sinotruk carrying sand gets stuck on a muddy road, one of the feeder roads in a deplorable state in Kasanje, Wakiso District. Despite collecting over UGX 460 million in taxes, the community says service delivery remains poor.

Kasanje, Wakiso District: Kasanje, a mid-size place located in the central region of Uganda hosts a population of approximately 42,300 people and is one of the largest places in Uganda. Over the past five years, the area has witnessed an increase in both population and commercial activity. Its proximity to Entebbe Road and the expanding metropolitan region has made it a thriving hub for traders, transporters, property developers, and investors.

Once a fun ride, the trip to Kasanje now requires perseverance and patience. The condition of the roads has made what should be a quick trip into an unpleasant, rough experience with deep potholes, eroded culverts, and uneven gravel paths.

Paradoxically, however, Kasanje is one of the sub-counties that makes a substantial contribution to local revenue collection through land fees, market dues, trading licenses, and taxes. With massive investments in the area, the community members are overwhelmed with tax payment for goods and services. In the FY 2024/25, Kasanje Town Council community collected UGX 463,398,187 (Four hundred sixty-three million three hundred ninety-eight thousand one hundred eight seven shillings only) in revenue and taxes.

Amidst this huge tax collection and sacrifice by the community, people in the community are overwhelmed by the current situation in the area, especially the state of the roads, which are very bad. The government high revenue collection and taxes, decided to bring back only UGX 40,000,000 to improve the state of the roads in the community. Amidst the huge collection, residents argue that the visible impact on infrastructure, particularly roads, is negligible.

“In this community, we are overburdened by taxes, and we collect a lot of money, but if you see the road that we use, you can cry. The local government officials don’t care about us at all,” Ndahura Kenneth, a community member, cried out

The question of accountability looms large in the area. Despite clear revenue collection figures announced during budget conferences, there is little transparency and accountability from the leaders about how those funds are utilized. Community members reported that every year, funds for road construction is included in the budget, but actual work is not done. The members allege that road projects in Kasajanje are either delayed, underfunded, or poorly executed by the local leaders.

“Every year, we are told collections have improved, but our roads remain the same. During the rainy season, you can’t even tell where the road begins or ends. Vehicles are getting stuck on the roads and which is a disservice to our community,” Jacinta Baseka, LC 1 Chairperson reported.

The community members of Kasanje have taken actions into their hands and reported the issue to the local authorities of Kasanje Town Council, but no serious actions were taken. The local leaders came to the community to assess the state of the road and promised to work on the road. To the community members, this was neglect and poor service delivery that needed to be acted up on faster before it gets out of hand.

“The biggest problem that we have as Kasanje Town Council is the budget constraint. The Central Government takes all the revenue collected and send back little money that is insufficient for development, as all the revenue is collected by URA, not us. This gives us no access to the money apart from us,” Naziri Teopista, Physical Planner – Kasanje Town Council, said.

According to the Senior Community Development Officer, Nayiga Hidaya, the money that is sent back is very minimal to attend to all the social services in the area. She noted that the Central Government need to increase the money allocated to Kasanje Town Council to ensure effective service delivery in the community.

After months of not fulfilling their promise, and the state of the roads were worsening and becoming impassable, it prompted community members to act by coming together and collecting money to maintain the road as they wait for the local leaders to act.

“As a business person, I can not sit and see my clients get stuck on the road. I had to pick my money UGX 850,000 and buy marram to repair the road. We can not wait for the government to do certain things while we are suffering and I had to mobilize community members to come together and work on our roads”. Nakabiito Alice Sheila, a resident, noted.

During a community dialogue organized by the class of Ethics and Integrity, from Makerere University Business School (MUBs) that brought together 53 community members on the 1st of November 2025, aimed at: bridging the gape between the leaders and the members of the community; creating a platform for the leaders to give accountability; gathering collective solutions to improve the roads, had community members promising to continue support road maintenance initiatives and not wait for the government.

According to Winne Muwanguzi, a student of Leadership and Governance at Makerere University Business School, Kasanje’s story is not merely about bad roads but a reflection of a deeper governance and accountability gap within the local leadership. She added that the growing tax base offers an opportunity to transform local infrastructure like roads, but without transparency, accountability and prioritization of community needs and engagements, members will never receive better services.

Strengthening leadership and improving service delivery in Kasanje Town Council will require deeper collaboration between government, local leaders, and the community. Establishing community-led monitoring groups and holding regular consultation meetings will not only promote transparency but also ensure that development initiatives truly reflect the needs and priorities of residents.

Furthermore, focusing on the rehabilitation and maintenance of existing roads, while fostering partnerships with private construction firms and local businesses, will enhance accessibility and stimulate local trade. Open and continuous dialogue between the council and the people will build trust, encourage accountability, and ultimately lead to a more responsive and sustainable model of governance in Kasanje.