Transforming the Settlements of the Urban Poor in Uganda (TSUPU) Programme

The TSUPU programme created a framework to enhance cooperation among all partners: national and local governments, urban poor communities, Cities Alliance members, investors, civil society and others. TSUPU also built effective partnerships among all of these stakeholders based on clearly defined rights and responsibilities.

 

  1. The Local Governments of Arua, Jinja, Kabale, Mbale and Mbarara
  2. The Urban Authorities Association of Uganda (UAAU)
  3. The National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda
  4. ACTogether
  5. Makerere University

 

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the TSUPU programme was facilitated and supported by Cities Alliance.

 

Results

Better governance. By providing space for inclusive dialogue, TSUPU has established an institutional framework that creates channels for partnerships between citizens and their local governments. It has also ensured that issues affecting the urban poor are reflected in planning and the municipal development agenda. TSUPU has also created a mechanism for effective community oversight of public expenditure and catalysed a culture of rights and responsibilities among citizens.

Empowered slum dwellers. In the 5 initial TSUPU cities, nearly 14,000 slum dwellers have been mobilised into 303 saving groups, which are federated into committees at the settlement and city development level. These urban poor organisations worked in partnership with municipalities to identify and prioritise projects, and then oversaw their implementation. The projects were financed by small grants from a fund located within the municipal government.

Leveraged investments. The practical experience urban poor communities gained through TSUPU provided the upfront institutional framework to support the World Bank’s US$150 million municipal support programme, expanding TSUPU from five to all 14 secondary cities. Comic Aid and the Gates Foundation have also linked into TSUPU’s institutional structure, mobilising much-needed additional resources.

Training the next generation of urban planners. Urban planning programmes at Makerere University have been restructured, giving Uganda’s future urban planners hands-on training in inclusive development.

South-South Learning. Exchanges among Country Programme participants have exposed national, municipal and community leaders to a wide range of possibilities and brought a new dynamism to the urban agenda.

National dialogue on urban issues. National and municipal urban fora have been established to provide space where stakeholders engage in dialogue to inform urban policy agenda and investments. These stakeholders include, but are not limited to: urban poor representatives, municipal government, private sector, development partners, professional bodies, CSOs/NGOs, the academia, media, religious leaders, opinion/cultural leaders and in idividuals.

National Urban Policy. The Government of Uganda is developing an overarching national urban policy to respond to the rapid urbanisation growth and challenges with support through TSUPU.

 

 

TSUPU by the numbers

  1. 14 cities covered
  2. Leveraged US$150 million in financing from the World Bank
  3. 14,000 slum dwellers mobilised into 303 savings groups
  4. 16 partners working towards a common agenda

 

 

Related Items

Arua Municipality Exemplary in TSUPU

ACTogether Blog on TSUPU Activities

SDI Video on Turning Participation into Partnerships in Jinja

How Saving Groups are Empowering Slum Dwellers in Uganda