Okongo Village Council is taking a firm stance on urban development as it faces a growing waiting list for residential and business land.

In a move to accelerate growth, the council has announced it will revoke undeveloped plots to make room for those ready to build.

With 1,300 applicants waiting for residential land and 450 for business plots, the Okongo Village Council is under pressure to formalise the town's infrastructure.

While the council has already allocated hundreds of plots to the Shack Dwellers Federation and the Build Together project, many large erven remain idle.

The Chief Executive Officer, Jackson Muma, warned that the tendency of holding onto land without development is coming to an end.

"The council took a decision and said that those who have an area of 20,000 or above, these plots will be revoked and then be allocated to those who are ready to construct them. That is a decision that has been taken by the Okongo Village Council, and we shall implement it from the 1st of April already."

The push toward formalisation extends to local traders. The council is nearing completion of the third phase of a new open market, designed to house 250 traders who currently operate along the roadside. This facility aims to provide a secure environment for various businesses, from tailoring to fresh produce.

"We will then have our traders, all of them moving to the open market because, as we speak, it will then be able to accommodate 250 traders. Now that is just to formalise and make sure that these people, we register them."

In addition to trading, the town is investing in modern social infrastructure, including a new basic constituency sports field to host sports codes such as soccer, netball, and volleyball, signalling Okongo's transition from a village settlement to a modern urban destination.