Uganda Mulls New City to Decongest Capital as Akon Offer Holds

Kampala stretches across about 189 square kilometers and has some 1.8 million residents. — Kampala stretches across about 189 square kilometers and has some 1.8 million residents.
Photographer: Michele Spatari/AFP/Getty Images

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August 22, 2025 at 10:27 AM UTC

Uganda plans to build a new city in an area near Kampala that’s adjacent to a square mile it has offered to R&B singer Akon for development as it seeks to reduce congestion in the capital.

It wants to construct the new metropolis on the Mpungwe Peninsula, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Kampala, Uganda Land Commission Secretary Andrew Nyumba said Thursday.