There are reports that authorities and
researchers in Uganda are encouraging rapid rural to urban migration in order
to speed up the process of modernization including industrialization. Presently
about 10 percent of Uganda’s population reside in urban areas. The economic, social
and environmental challenges are already enormous even with this small
percentage of urban dwellers. Do the authorities and researchers have plans for
jobs, food, transport, housing, schools, health, sanitation and recreation facilities
to absorb such an influx of poor and functionally illiterate people as being
encouraged to reside in towns? Do they have a time frame within which to
realize this goal? In order to give an idea about the dangers ahead, let us
look briefly at what happened in European towns particularly Britain that
experienced rapid urban population growth.
In Europe urban population grew
rapidly as a result of industrialization. By the middle of the 19th century
Britain was rapidly becoming a center of manufacturing and related industries
and services. Urban centers attracted the location of industries because
transport, energy and labor were easily available so that by 1850 more than half
of Britain’s population was living in cities and other urban areas. What were
the consequences of rapid urbanization?
As more people moved from rural to
urban areas, food production declined to such an extent that demand exceeded
supply. Britain which had been an exporter became an importer of food. Uganda
may not be in a position in the foreseeable future to raise enough foreign
exchange with which to import massive amounts of food to feed an urban
population explosion who may not even have the purchasing power to access the imported
food.
Rapid urbanization produced serious
challenges that adversely impacted on living conditions and social behavior. At
that time the doctrine of laissez-faire (let
alone) was in fashion – as in Uganda now – and urban authorities felt little or
no responsibility for the miserable urban conditions. Wealthy urban dwellers
lived in suburbs where living conditions were good and felt no pressure to push
authorities to improve living conditions in inner cities where the poor lived –
a similar situation is developing in Uganda.
The housing conditions were in pathetic
shape. Rooms were small and overcrowded. A report in the late 1830s revealed
that in one of the dwellings six people occupied one room. There were
situations where six people shared one bed – adults and children. These
conditions are rapidly developing in Uganda urban slums.
Sanitary conditions were
appalling. Because of laissez-faire, there was lack of urban
governance. Consequently, streets were used as sewers and open drains. Refuse
from animal and human use including excrement was pilled in heaps making the
place ugly and smelly. These conditions were extremely unhealthy giving rise to
a mortality rate higher than the birth rate.
Consumers were defrauded in many
ways such as buying adulterated food and drinks – chemicals were added to bread
to make it white and fetch more money and water was added to beer and milk.
Notwithstanding these frightening
conditions, the authorities refused to intervene arguing that regulations would
interfere with the market mechanism, competition and individual freedom.
The economic and social hardships
led to a breakdown in moral standards. Prostitution, crime and sexual immorality
became the order of the day as a result of degrading urban conditions. What encouraged changes to take place was
fear and not compassion.
The deteriorating situation in the
inner cities began to worry the well-to-do who felt that it posed a danger to
the entire society – rich and poor. The masses of workers immersed in poverty, crime,
disease and cultural decay could explode because they had nothing to lose.
At the same time advocates for
change armed with facts about the dangers of unsanitary conditions such as
cholera which do not respect class boundaries called for public intervention.
There was also fear that the masses could easily be organized and overthrow the
established order. These developments convinced the powerful and wealthy urban
dwellers and town authorities that time had come for public intervention. In
1848 Britain’s first Public Health Act was passed creating a National Health
Board with powers to establish modern sanitary systems. In 1875 the Food and
Drugs Act was also passed to address the challenges of food adulteration.
In developing countries, studies have
shown that many urban areas where poverty and frustration are high the
potential for extremism and activism is growing. Poverty, unemployment, income
and political inequalities and human insecurity in general tend to cause
political instability and the gravity grows with the level of urbanization.
Against this background, it is recommended
that Uganda authorities, their advisors and researchers need to take a second
look at the urbanization project being proposed so that the adverse
consequences that were experienced in Europe are avoided.