By Elite Reporter
Many tourism enthusiasts and people who cherish Uganda’s history are not happy with the government’s plans to relocate the legendary Queens Ways based Clock Tower in mid-Kampala, to pave way for the Kampala Flyover project.
We have learnt that the government of Uganda (GoU) with funding from the Government of Japan, through Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA), is implementing the Kampala Flyover Construction and Road Upgrading Project (KFCRUP)
The overall project objective is to improve traffic flow within the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area by decongesting the roads in the Kampala City Central Business District.
The works are being implemented by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) together with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the affiliated agency.
The Project is divided into Lots 1 and 2 with Nippon Koei Co. Ltd. & Eight-Japan Engineering Consultants Inc. Joint Venture in Association with ICS-Engineering & Environment Ltd (NK/EJEC/ICS) as the Supervising Consultant.
The Contractor for Lot 1 is Shimizu-Konoike Joint Venture company. Lot 1 commenced 04 May 2019 and will be completed within about 3 years. It includes a flyover at the Clock Tower junction; an Underpass at Nsambya – Gaba Road junction; a New Link Road connecting Gaba road to Kibuli Road and widening of existing roads at Queensway, Entebbe Road, Mukwano Road and Gaba Road.
Junctions will be signalized with three footbridges at Shoprite, Clock Tower and Kibuli Road junctions and a new public green park where the current Clock Tower will be relocated.
For smooth traffic flow around the Clock Tower junction, the existing Tower is being relocated to an adjacent location next to the Pan African Square as indicated in the artistic impression for the project.
The Clock Tower Relocation Plan, Environmental and Archaeological study reports were reviewed by key stakeholders and approved by the Department of Museums and Monuments under the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, although didn’t amuse some Ugandans, who wanted the monumental Clock Tower to remain intact.
The Clock Tower was built in memory of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Uganda in 1954.