An assessment of encroachment on the Uganda railway reserve land stretching from the railway bridge at Entebbe road to a railway crossing on Wankulukuku road.

Abstract

The research was aimed at assessing the extent of Encroachment on Kampala Railway Reserve land on the railway stretch from Railway Bridge at Entebbe road to a railway crossing on Wankulukuku road in Kampala City. The problem considered was the degree of uncertainty regarding the extent of public encroachment on the railway reserve land. The specific objectives were to; examine the nature of the different socio-economic activities on the railway reserve land, identify the causes of encroachment on the Kampala Railway reserve land, explore the nature of the extent of encroachment on the railway reserve land, and identify mitigation measures to curb encroachment on the railway reserve land. The area of study was located in Kampala city in the central region of Uganda, the case study was the railway stretch from the railway bridge on Entebbe road to a railway crossing on Wankulukuku road. Theoretically, the research considered the theory of the Highest and Biggest Land Use in the assessment of the nature and extent of public encroachment on the railway reserve land in the area of study. In the literature review the following studies were considered; nature of the different socio-economic activities in the railway reserve land, the extent of encroachment on railway reserve land, and Mitigation measures to curb encroachment on the railway reserve land. The literature reviews also contained information on the causes of encroachment on the railway reserve land. The population sample size considered in the study was 30 respondents. These included all occupiers of land within the Railway Reserve land. Tenants, landlords, vendors, business owners, casual workers, local leaders, and technical officials were all considered in this survey. The questionnaire, observation, and document review data collection techniques were used. The “space availability” factor had the highest influence on public encroachment on the railway reserve land. Commercial activities had the highest and biggest land use percentage, while Industrial or Agricultural activities had the least land-use percentage. The trend between 2000 to 2010 indicated a steady increase in human encroachment on the railway reserve land in the area of study. The findings and results were presented in form of frequency tables, pie charts, and graphs. The conclusion was based on results and findings related to the measurable specific objectives and the recommendations were drawn based on the conclusion.