KAMPALA – Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has given political aspirants one month to remove posters and other forms of advertisements placed in unauthorized areas or else risk facing prosecution.
Daniel Nuwabine, the acting KCCA spokesperson, says once the ultimatum that started on Monday this week expires, they will not only remove the posters but will arrest and prosecute those behind them.
Nuwabine says whoever wants to pin posters or advertise in the city should seek permission from the Authority as stipulated in the National Physical Planning Standards and Guidelines of 2011.
According to the National Physical Planning Standards and Guidelines of 2011, permission is required for all advertisements throughout Uganda. The applicant is required to fill special forms for permission to display any advertisement and submit it to the local authority.
Approvals are subject to the signs being maintained in a clean, tidy and safe condition. These controls do not apply to an advertisement inside a building or on a vehicle. Currently, KCCA doesn’t charge any fees for outdoor advertisement since it declared the fees set and gazetted by the authority in 2019 as illegal.
The National Physical Planning Standards and Guidelines of 2011 prohibits the advertisement signs from obstructing visibility at a bend, junction or other hazards, interfere with the road-users view of traffic signs, distract road users attention at hazardous sites. However, advertisers especially politicians have had their posters erected on traffic signposts. Nuwabine says all these shall be removed.
Allan Ssekyewa Kyobe, the spokesperson Uganda National Roads Authority-UNRA also cautioned the public against blocking road signage with posters. He says UNRA has sanctioned enforcement across the country to pull down and destroy any posters or billboards obstructing traffic signage or erected on road reserves.
