Uganda’s cabinet approved the incorporation of nine cities with effect from July 1, 2020.
The cities are Arua, Hoima, Gulu, Mbarara, Jinja, Mbale, Lira, Entebbe and Fort Portal city.
The decision was made following a cabinet meeting chaired by President Yoweri Museveni in Entebbe on Monday.
Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Fort Portal, and Mbarara are expected to be elevated from municipality to city status by July 2020. Hoima and Mbale are expected to follow suit in July 2021. Entebbe and Lira are then scheduled to complete the phased approach in July 2022.
The elevation is geared towards converting the municipalities into regional cities which will have two divisions.
Mbale and Jinja will be the cities in eastern Uganda, Fort Portal, Mbarara and Hoima will be the regional cities in western Uganda, Entebbe will be the regional city for central Uganda, and Lira, Arua and Gulu will be the regional cities in northern Uganda.
A budget of Shs 130 billion was set aside for the operations of the cities after meeting all the requirements.
Each new city will also get three members in parliament, increasing Uganda’s already bloated parliament by an additional 27 members.
