In the fiery aftermath of a devastating blaze that reduced Muzirango Mini Supermarket in Busega to ashes on Tuesday evening, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago is sounding the alarm and this time, it’s not about politics but water.
The visibly frustrated Lord Mayor is calling on the central government and city authorities to immediately install functional water hydrants across Kampala’s high-risk areas.
This follows what he termed a “preventable disaster” where fire trucks responded late and helpless with no water sources in sight.
“We cannot continue to watch millions of shillings and livelihoods go up in flames while fire brigades run dry,” Lukwago told journalists at the scene early Wednesday morning.
“This is negligence wrapped in bureaucracy and it’s killing our city’s resilience.”
At around 7:40 PM on Tuesday, residents of Busega a densely populated suburb along the Kampala–Masaka highway were jolted by thick smoke and screams as a fire engulfed Smart Mini Supermarket, a popular retail store serving hundreds daily.
Eyewitnesses say the fire started at the back of the building, possibly in the storage or electronics section and quickly spread through the aisles fed by flammable goods like cooking oil, packaging materials and dry groceries.
“It took more than 30 minutes for fire trucks to arrive, and even when they did, they had no nearby hydrant to draw water from,” said Jackson Muwanguzi, a boda boda rider who was among the first on the scene.
By the time firefighters managed to contain the flames hauling water from over a kilometre away everything was lost.
This is not the first time Kampala has faced fire-related embarrassment. From the Owino Market infernos to the Makerere University Ivory Tower blaze, firefighting efforts have repeatedly been crippled by the lack of functional water hydrants and poor urban planning.
According to the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the city has less than 40 usable hydrants most of which are outdated, concealed by roadworks, or simply dry.
Yet Kampala hosts over 2.5 million people daily many of them living in markets, arcades, and congested settlements prone to fire outbreaks.
“It’s scandalous that a capital city like Kampala doesn’t have a working fire hydrant network,” said Lukwago.
“It’s like building houses with no doors for escape.”
City engineers, water utility bodies, and the Ministry of Works & Transport are all pointing fingers.
Some cite the ongoing road reconstruction projects which have covered or disrupted underground pipelines. Others blame corruption and low prioritization of disaster readiness in budget allocations.
“Uganda spends billions on fire trucks and none on hydrants. That’s like buying bullets without a gun.”
For residents of Busega, the damage is done. But their voices now add to a growing chorus calling for real investment in urban safety.
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