EMPOWERING RESIDENTS THROUGH SMART CITY AMBASSADORS INITIATIVE

Before the garbage is collected, before a blocked drain floods a road, before a complaint reaches City Hall, a Smart City Ambassador is usually the first to hear about it.

On Saturday, at least 2500 of these volunteer community leaders from Kampala’s neighborhoods gathered at Kitante Primary School as Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) reaffirmed their growing role as the bridge between residents and city management, positioning grassroots action as key to improved service delivery and urban order.

The Smart City Ambassadors, drawn from Kampala’s 857 villages, form a voluntary and patriotic network supporting cleanliness, safe neighborhoods and responsible waste management, among other community-led initiatives.

KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki told the ambassadors that their role is indispensable.

“Kampala has 857 villages. Even if I worked every day for a whole year, I could not reach all of them. If I do not work with you, I would be deceiving myself that KCCA would work better,” she said.

She emphasized that improving Kampala is a shared responsibility, not the task of a single office or individual, and urged ambassadors to remain actively involved in KCCA activities within their communities.

Buzeki said KCCA will continue to share information on its projects and policies to enable ambassadors to guide residents, address concerns and promote civic responsibility.

“You are our eyes and ears in the community,” she said, adding that more engagements will be held to continuously sensitize ambassadors on KCCA programs and standards.

The Saturday engagement included presentations on KCCA’s Service Delivery Standards, Client Charter, and the Five-Year Strategic Plan (2025/26–2029/30). These tools equip ambassadors to guide residents on service entitlements, reporting procedures, and city development priorities, strengthening accountability at the local level.

Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs Minsa Kabanda commended KCCA for mobilizing community leadership.

“You [ambassadors] must ensure that whatever has not been done is brought to the fore, and whatever we have done and planning to do will be shared with you” Kabanda said, praising collaboration on roads, drainage improvements, and city cleaning initiatives.

Senior Presidential Private Secretary Miriam Namayanja also highlighted the progress visible across the city.

“You go on the streets and there is no garbage, and green spaces are not being trespassed on,” she said, acknowledging the work of both KCCA and the ambassadors behind Kampala’s growing order and cleanliness.

Through the Smart City Ambassador program, KCCA is not only improving services, it is building a people-centered approach to urban governance, ensuring residents are active partners in sustaining the gains in infrastructure, sanitation, and public service delivery across Kampala.

By Geofrey Mutegeki Araali

Communication and Media Relations Officer