NAMUTUMBA: State Minister for Housing Persis Namuganza has warned Ugandans against burying their dead within urban centres, calling on town authorities across the country to enforce physical planning regulations and protect towns from unplanned developments.
Namuganza said burials within town boundaries were discouraged under the Physical Planning Act, urging residents to use gazetted public cemeteries or consider cremation as an alternative.
She made the remarks on Friday, November 6, during celebrations to mark World Town Planning Day in Namutumba District. The annual commemoration falls on November 8, but this year’s national celebrations were held earlier because the date fell on a Sunday.
The minister called on town clerks, chief administrative officers (CAOs) and security agencies to enforce the regulations and sensitise communities about the importance of adhering to approved physical development plans.
She said proper urban planning was critical to ensuring orderly settlements, protecting public spaces and supporting sustainable development as Uganda’s towns continue to expand.
Namuganza also announced that the Ministry of Lands would establish a modern roundabout in Namutumba Town Council, which she described as a first-of-its-kind development, in recognition of the district’s hosting of the celebrations.
“Namutumba will be among the 40 urban centres countrywide to benefit from this development plan,” she said.
The President of the Professional Physical Planners Association of Uganda, Charles Napendu, said physical planners were central to the development of organised urban centres but faced financial and staffing constraints.
Napendu said each district receives Shs20m to facilitate planners’ field visits, an allocation he described as inadequate given the number of administrative units they must cover.
He called on government to increase funding to local governments and facilitate the recruitment of physical planners at sub-county level.
Namutumba Chief Administrative Officer Jessica Nsogya said the district had issued 4,000 customary land ownership certificates this year to strengthen residents’ land rights.
However, Bukono Constituency MP Joel Azalwa raised concerns over the absence of approved structural plans in some town councils, including Ivukula, Nsinze and Namutumba.
He also cited inadequate drainage systems and limited enforcement personnel as challenges undermining orderly urban development.
The celebrations were held under the theme, “Great Communities Built on Planning.”
