Attorney General Sam Mayanja has defended plans to redevelop Kampala’s City Square, arguing that the public space has been taken over by suspected criminals and can no longer serve its intended purpose as a recreational area for residents.
Mayanja said police personnel had been forced to maintain a permanent presence at the square to deal with suspected criminals who allegedly use the area as a base to plan robberies and other criminal activities across the city.
“Have you seen that place at City Square? There is now a permanent police truck stationed there, with police personnel constantly fighting criminals whose home has become City Square,” Mayanja said.
He argued that the security situation had undermined the square’s purpose as a public recreational space, adding that the grass had been destroyed by people who spend most of their time there.
“Which respectable Kampala resident can take his family there over the weekend and say, ‘Let’s go to City Square’? The police are there fighting criminals who are planning their evil acts. We cannot allow that to continue,” he said.
Mayanja said the proposed redevelopment would restore green spaces and introduce modern facilities, including a water fountain, improved internet connectivity and designated areas where visitors could relax, take photographs and enjoy the surroundings.
He added that the existing monument would be preserved to enable visitors to learn about Uganda’s history while enjoying the redeveloped space.
“These are the things our own Ugandan group is introducing at City Square. Yet people are opposing the idea. What is the alternative? There is no time to waste,” he said.
Mayanja said the plan was to transform City Square into a modern public space comparable to those in major international cities such as New York, Washington, London, Paris and Bonn.
He argued that the redevelopment would give Kampala residents and visitors a safer and more attractive place to relax, access the internet and take photographs.
The proposed redevelopment comes after President Yoweri Museveni directed the minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Minsa Kabanda, to study a proposal by businessman Hassan Bulwadda to transform the site and consult Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) before reporting back to him.
In a directive dated August 30, 2026, Museveni said he had received a proposal from Bulwadda to redevelop the two-acre site into a modern, environmentally friendly real estate complex.
“I have received a letter from Hajj Hassan Bulwadda dated the 18th of August, 2026, proposing to develop the two acres at City Square in Kampala into a modern, eco-friendly real estate complex, with a hotel, shopping mall, etc, using solar power,” Museveni wrote.
The proposal envisages a mixed-use development featuring a hotel and shopping mall, with solar power as part of its environmental design.
Museveni’s directive required Kabanda to examine the proposal and consult KCCA before reporting back to him. The directive, as provided, does not amount to final approval of the redevelopment plan.