ENTEBBE, Uganda — The grey suit and neatly knotted blue tie contrasted sharply with the dust rising from the busy Nakiwogo road construction site.
Heavy trucks rumbled past as engineers inspected ongoing works. Construction teams coordinated the movement of materials under the watchful eye of Municipal Engineer Moses Tumusiime. Standing quietly nearby was Entebbe Municipal Council Town Clerk, Emmanuel Mugisha Gakyaalo, observing far more than a road project.
He was watching years of planning, budgeting, coordination and public administration take tangible form.
On a chilly Wednesday morning, before Uganda’s historic lakeside municipality had fully awakened, the sounds of excavators and construction equipment echoed through the town—signals of a city steadily reinventing itself.
Armed with a notebook, recorder and laptop, this writer arrived expecting to document road works. Instead, the visit revealed a much bigger story—one about the often unseen systems that determine whether decentralisation truly delivers for ordinary citizens.
Entebbe is no ordinary municipality. It hosts State House, Uganda’s international gateway through Entebbe International Airport, Lake Victoria’s shoreline, thriving tourism sites and strategic government institutions. It is a municipality whose image often shapes visitors’ first impression of Uganda.
To many, the ongoing works are simply road projects.
But beneath the asphalt lies a deeper story—one of strategic planning, disciplined financial management, data-driven decision-making and effective public administration.
At the centre of that story is Town Clerk Emmanuel Mugisha Gakyaalo.
The Administrator Behind the Progress
Unlike politicians, whose achievements are often measured through public campaigns and speeches, a Town Clerk’s success is reflected in efficient systems, prudent financial management and improved public services.
Gakyaalo has built his career in local government administration, previously serving in Masaka City before taking up the responsibility of leading Entebbe’s technical administration.
Colleagues describe him as calm, methodical and results-oriented—a technocrat whose focus is ensuring that government policies are translated into services citizens can see and use.
His responsibilities stretch across virtually every aspect of municipal administration.
Budgets must be prepared and implemented.
Departments must work together.
Government programmes must be monitored.
Public resources must be accounted for.
Development projects must be delivered on time and within the law.
These are the invisible foundations upon which urban transformation is built.
The Engine Room of Local Government
Under Uganda’s decentralisation framework, the Town Clerk serves as the head of administration and accounting officer of an urban council.
The office is responsible for coordinating departments, implementing council decisions, managing public finances and ensuring accountability in service delivery.
For Entebbe Municipality, that responsibility carries even greater significance.
As Uganda’s gateway to the world, the municipality must maintain roads, markets, drainage systems, public spaces and other essential infrastructure while accommodating a rapidly growing urban population and thousands of visitors every day.
Every completed road, organised market and improved public facility begins long before construction starts.
It begins with planning.
With budgeting.
With procurement.
With supervision.
And ultimately with accountability.
When Data Drives Development
Modern governance is increasingly guided by evidence rather than assumption.
Information generated by local governments plays a critical role in informing national planning and budgeting by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
Municipal data on population growth, infrastructure needs, revenue performance, service delivery gaps and investment priorities helps determine how public resources are allocated across the country.
In this process, the Town Clerk becomes the bridge between community needs and national development priorities.
For a municipality like Entebbe, where urban growth continues to accelerate, ensuring that planning is supported by reliable data has become indispensable.
Strengthening the Municipality’s Financial Base
Infrastructure development depends on sound financial management.
During Gakyaalo’s tenure, Entebbe Municipality has registered encouraging improvements in local revenue performance.
Revenue collections increased from Shs304.2 million in the 2024/2025 financial year to Shs358.7 million in 2025/2026—an increase of approximately Shs54.4 million.
Monthly collections also recorded notable growth.
Revenue collected in October rose from Shs29.7 million in 2024 to Shs38.9 million in 2025, while May collections increased from Shs10.6 million in 2025 to Shs36.2 million in 2026.
According to Jackson Mulindwa, an officer in the Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Department at Entebbe Municipal Council, such figures represent much more than accounting records.
They determine the municipality’s ability to maintain infrastructure, improve sanitation, respond to growing urban demands and provide quality services to residents.
The improved performance also reflects continued efforts to strengthen local revenue mobilisation—an issue consistently emphasised by the Ministry of Local Government under the leadership of Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya.
Roads That Create Opportunity
For residents of Kitooro, Kiwafu, Nakiwogo and neighbouring communities, road construction is about much more than better transport.
It is about opportunity.
Reliable roads enable traders to move goods more efficiently.
They allow children to travel safely to school.
They improve access to health services.
They reduce transport costs for businesses.
They stimulate investment.
Roads are therefore not merely physical infrastructure—they are economic lifelines.
Municipal Engineer Moses Tumusiime’s team continues translating development plans into physical infrastructure, while the Town Clerk’s office provides the administrative coordination that keeps projects moving.
Kitooro Market: Where Planning Meets People’s Lives
A short distance from the road works stands Kitooro Market, another visible symbol of Entebbe’s transformation.
To traders, it represents daily income.
To consumers, it provides access to affordable goods.
To the municipality, it demonstrates how proper planning, sanitation management, maintenance and revenue administration can improve livelihoods.
Although residents often judge local government by visible projects, the systems supporting those projects remain largely unseen.
Yet they are what make sustainable urban development possible.
Building a Municipality for Everyone
Deputy Town Clerk Christine Damalie attributes much of the municipality’s recent progress to teamwork and professional leadership.
She says close collaboration among departments has strengthened implementation of infrastructure projects, market management and urban planning.
“Entebbe has become a home for all and sundry. Through teamwork, planning and commitment, we have continued improving the municipality,” she says.
Her remarks underscore an important lesson in public administration: lasting transformation is built by strong institutions working together rather than individual effort alone.
The Quiet Architects of Urban Transformation
As Uganda deepens decentralisation, technical officers remain the often-overlooked architects of local development.
While elected leaders provide political direction, administrators ensure that plans become projects, budgets become services and public resources deliver measurable impact.
They coordinate departments.
They manage public finances.
They monitor implementation.
They safeguard accountability.
In Entebbe, Emmanuel Gakyaalo represents that quiet but indispensable side of government.
The new roads may be the most visible signs of change.
The markets may reflect the municipality’s growing economy.
But beneath every visible achievement lies careful planning, sound financial management, reliable data and effective technical leadership.
That is the blueprint steadily giving Entebbe a new face—and transforming decentralisation from a policy on paper into a lived experience for the people it serves.
The post THE MAN BEHIND ENTEBBE’S NEW FACE: How Emmanuel Gakyaalo Is Turning Planning, Data and Public Investment into an Urban Renaissance appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.