NPA ISSUES FIRST PHYSICAL PLANNING COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The National Planning Authority has issued the first-ever Physical Planning Certificates of Compliance to Local Governments following a nationwide assessment of the implementation of Physical Development Plans for FY2024/25. The Certificate of Compliance is issued under Section 55 of the Physical Planning Act, Cap 142. 

The Physical Planning Certificate of Compliance is intended to ensure adherence to approved physical development plans, promote orderly and sustainable land use, safeguard the environment and public safety, and enhance infrastructure efficiency and urban aesthetics.

The assessment covered districts, cities, municipalities, and town councils, focusing on six key areas: institutional readiness, physical planning status, plan implementation, land use enforcement, development control, and community sensitisation. Compliance is classified as “satisfactory” (70–100 percent), “moderately satisfactory” (50–69 percent), and “unsatisfactory” (below 50 percent). Findings indicate that overall national compliance with physical development plans stands at 28.62 percent, rated unsatisfactory. Districts scored 26.56 percent, cities 48.52 percent, municipal councils 40.11 percent, and town councils 24.60 percent, which was unsatisfactory.

At the city level, Kampala emerged as the best-performing city with a score of 58.7 percent, rated moderately satisfactory, followed closely by Mbarara and Gulu. Among districts, Mukono ranked highest with 68.2 percent, achieving a moderately satisfactory rating and standing out as the overall best-performing district. At the municipal level, Makindye-Ssabagabo led with a score of 67.0 percent, reflecting relatively strong institutional performance. Meanwhile, among town councils, Kakira emerged as the top performer with 68.0 percent, also rated moderately satisfactory. The performance of the majority of local governments was unsatisfactory.

The unsatisfactory physical planning compliance highlights systemic challenges in the implementation and enforcement of physical development plans across all levels of local government. NPA attributes the performance to limited institutional capacity, particularly the shortage of physical planners and enforcement officers, low availability and coverage of physical development and detailed plans, weak enforcement amid political interference and developer resistance, inadequate financing with less than one percent of local government budgets allocated to physical planning, limited availability to technical tools and equipment, and low levels of public awareness and community engagement with only 33 percent of local governments conducting sensitisation activities.

Speaking on the findings, the Executive Director of NPA, Dr. Joseph Muvawala, emphasised the need for urgent and coordinated action, noting that low compliance with physical planning increases the cost of public investments, resulting in public project cost overruns and delays, unplanned settlements, encroachment on ecologically fragile areas, drainage corridors, critical infrastructure corridors, and land ownership conflicts complicating land acquisition for public projects.

Mr. Denis Tugume, the Manager for Urban and Metropolitan Physical Planning at NPA, noted that while some progress has been observed, particularly in urban areas, overall compliance remains unsatisfactory due to persistent gaps in capacity, planning coverage, and enforcement. He emphasized the need for Government to fund the development and implementation of regional, district, and urban physical development plans, increase the coverage of detailed physical development plans in local governments and zoning regulations as a prerequisite for orderly and sustainable development. He added that NPA will continue to prioritise support to local governments in building technical capacity, improving planning systems, and strengthening community engagement to promote voluntary compliance.

Mr. Charles Musana, the Manager for Information Advocacy and Public Relations at NPA, welcomed the milestone, describing the issuance of the inaugural certificates as a significant step in strengthening accountability and planning discipline across the country. He noted that the assessment provides a clear baseline for improving performance and ensuring that physical planning becomes a central driver of Uganda’s development agenda.

Mr. Joseph Tenywa, the Senior Manager Infrastructure and Digital Transformation at the National Planning Authority noted that NPA will continue working with key institutions, including the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, the Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Kampala Capital City Authority and Metropolitan Affairs, Kampala Capital City Authority, and local governments to strengthen institutional capacity and readiness to improve and enforce physical planning compliance.

About the National Planning Authority (NPA): The National Planning Authority was established under Article 125 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (1995) and operationalised by the NPA Act, CAP 202, as the institution mandated to develop comprehensive and integrated development plans for Uganda. The functions of the Authority were expanded through the National Planning Authority (Amendment) Act 2024 and the Physical Planning (Amendment) Act 2024 to include population and physical planning.