When Kampala woke up to the scenes of a cordoned-off Nakivubo channel by businessman Hamis Kiggundu, lord mayor Erias Lukwago was quick to appropriate blame.
He said the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) councillors at the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) were partly responsible for this. Lukwago revealed that the KCCA councillors, the majority of whom belong to NUP, had accepted bribes to pass a resolution allowing Kiggundu, popularly known as Ham, to build over the Nakivubo channel.
Lukwago had also written to the secretary general of NUP, David Lewis Rubongoya, asking him to take action. Rubongoya had not yet responded to Lukwago’s letter. A day after Ham had cordoned off Nakivubo channel with iron sheets, a letter from President Museveni allowing Ham to take over the channel surfaced on social media and somehow deflected attention away from the NUP councillors.
The spokesperson of NUP, who doubles as the leader of the opposition in parliament (LoP), Joel Ssenyonyi, in an interview, challenged Lukwago to present any evidence to support his allegations against councillors.
“I read the resolution; it was a generic resolution, not specific [to] Nakivubo. But we intend to meet with our councillors who passed it to give us a deeper insight into it. But more critically, it’s not a council resolution that gives them authority to develop. The real authority that gave Ham that place was Museveni; everyone saw that letter. But if Lukwago said there was any corruption, then he should bring evidence, and we shall deal with this issue. But also away from politics, this is a criminal matter; if anybody has evidence about corruption, then he should take the matter to court,” Ssenyonyi said.
NUP councillors, including KCCA speaker Zahra Luyurika (NUP, Makindye), also denied ever passing a resolution allowing Ham to take over the Nakivubo channel. In fact, one councillor from Lubuga Division, Faridah Nakabugo (NUP), offered to resign if there is any resolution that mentions Nakivubo channel.
This week, angry NUP councillors convened a council meeting in which they accused Lukwago of seeking ‘political mileage’ by imputing corruption on their part, yet he knew there was no resolution allowing Ham to take over the Nakivubo channel.
They also denied that they had been bribed by Ham. A week ago, URN had reported that it had independently learnt from two NUP councillors who confessed that indeed they had been given between Shs 500,000 and Shs 7 million to pass the resolution.
Ham was unavailable to comment on the veracity of the allegation. But away from the bribery allegations that are normally hard to prove, what is not disputed is that the KCCA councillors indeed discussed Ham’s encroachment on the Nakivubo channel that they said was causing flooding in Kampala.
This discussion was prompted by KCCA central executive committee (CEC), headed by Lukwago’s report, in which he wanted Ham to be prosecuted for constructing illegal structures of the Jugula channel, which is also part of the Nakivubo channel.
This followed a complaint from the Kampala Catholic Archdiocese about Ham taking over part of the land of St Balikuddembe and St Anthanasius Catholic shrines, closing off their access.
The council minutes signed by the KCCA speaker, Luyurika and council clerk Dan Muhumuza, dated April 10 2025, show that the CEC report that was presented by the executive secretary for planning and civil works, John Mary Ssebuwufu (NUP, Nakawa), recommended for the prosecution of Kiggundu for impunity as the only way for the council to “show it’s committed to redemption of drainage channels, fight impunity and speak truth to people [sic].”
The KCCA CEC also wanted the council to pass a resolution to cancel all land titles of the Kampala drainage system issued to private investors. The council also called for the prosecution of the acting KCCA executive director Frank Rusa Nyakana, who was cited as among those who allowed Ham to illegally construct on the Jugula channel.
KCCA minutes obtained show that, save for a few NUP councillors, the council not only opposed prosecuting Kiggundu and Rusa but also greenlit the construction of Kampala drainage channels.
It should be noted that Nakivubo, which runs throughout the five divisions of Kampala, forms over 50 per cent of the Kampala drainage system. Therefore, by greenlighting the construction of the drainage system, it essentially means building over the Nakivubo channel.
Councillor Mosh Afrikan Ssendi (NUP, Makindye), “proposed that KCCA consider the modern ways of construction and covering of drainages.”
His views were echoed by other councillors who recommended the covering of Kampala drainage include: Lillian Nakakande (NUP) and Bonny Bonifance Bukenya (NUP, Kawempe) who argued for the need to adopt modern methods of drainage construction like other countries such as the Netherlands, where there are “established recycling plants with some having apartment buildings built on top of them. Micdad Muganga (FDC, Kawempe), who “informed council that construction of open drainages was a primitive mode of construction and stated that open drainages needed to be phased out because they encouraged people to litter.”
He agreed that there was a need to support the development of channels because “the open ones were not smart and beautiful.”
He suggested that KCCA partners with “credible and able local investors to develop and upgrade drainages.”
This view was supported by Angel Kwagala (NUP, Kawempe), and a resolution was passed entreating KCCA to explore, “the option of moving away from traditional methods of constructing open drainages and take up regulated modern methods of drainage construction, prioritising covering and beautification to combat the persistent problem of flooding.”
The resolution also obliged KCCA to partner with “credible and able local investors within the respective areas to develop and upgrade the city drainage system…in view of the fact that funding from the central government and donors was declining.”
Any rational being reading this resolution will absolutely arrive at the same conclusion as did Lukwago that, despite the lack of succinct mentioning of the Nakivubo channel or Ham Kiggundu by name, this resolution absolutely granted Ham permission to build over Nakivubo.
The councillors also strongly rejected the CEC recommendation to bring disciplinary action against Rusa. Allan Mwesigye noted that bringing disciplinary action against Rusa and other technical officers would be vindictive as it targets him alone and not others who allowed the construction of “Phaneroo and Forest Mall which were causing the floods along the Lugogo area.’
This view was echoed by councillors Jeremiah Keeya Mwanje (NUP, Lubaga), Francis Mbaziira (NUP, Kampala Central), and Innocent Tegusulwa (NUP, Nakawa), among others. Tegusulwa particularly noted that it would be “funny” for the same councillors who had appreciated Rusa for the work well done to again turn around and “recommend his prosecution a few minutes later and warned that such an act would make a mockery of council.”
In the end, the council resolved to reject the recommendation on demolishing the alleged illegal structures constructed over the Jugula drainage channel with immediate effect. It also rejected CEC’s recommendation, placing a moratorium on all processes of KCCA giving out land titles to individual developers on drainage corridors and wetlands in Kampala, in essence allowing for investors like Ham to continue with their projects on Nakivubo.
The council also rejected the recommendation by CEC to reinstate the criminal case against Ham Enterprises, arresting and prosecuting Hamis Kiggundu for building on the Jugula drainage channel.
The council also rejected the recommendation on directing the KCCA Physical Planning Committee and Building Committee to stop any further processes of approving Ham Enterprises (U) Limited over the Jugula drainage channel. The council also rejected the recommendation to reprimand and bring disciplinary action against Rusa and other technical officers.
The councillors also rejected the recommendation that the IGG investigate the circumstances under which the city tycoons acquired titles on some drainage channels and wetlands in Kampala.
These recommendations by members of the opposition seeking the IGG to investigate alleged fraud in the way public properties were being given out to private individuals are perhaps what councillor James Mubiru (NUP, Lubaga) had talked about at the beginning of the meeting when he warned his colleagues against “allowing tycoons to sweet-talk them to allow illegalities.”
“The KCCA CEC also wanted the council to pass a resolution to cancel all land titles of the Kampala drainage system issued to private investors.” Of course all land titles of the Kampala drainage systems that are not internationally certified by international environmental organizations must be cancelled.
This includes the massive long crude oil pipeline of over 900 miles that is destroying much of the environment that make up the two African countries of Uganda and Tanzania. Such modern trade and commerce that do not support environmental scientific research efforts to improve on climate change repercussions must be stopped.
In 1961/62 the Ganda tribes people officially agreed for the new country of Uganda to demarcate and share the territories of the city of Kampala diametrically for only 14 miles outward. If the only city council in an expanding city of about 25 miles outward cannot manage to plan and mantain a few miles of urban drainage systems, how can one hope that there will ever be proper and modern urban environmental planning for this massive Ancient African city?
It’s obvious that NUP councillors were caught at it! What NUP should have done to absolve itself as a party would be to support Lukwago get to the bottom of the matter and save the party from the councillor’s misconduct
As long as I have known that channel, apart from being a drainage channel, it has been a den of thieves and a serious source of insecurity especially at night. I have not gone to other countries, but I doubt that in modern architecture, you can have open drainage, especially in the city.
It is idle space, and if it can be developed, why not? Who loses if it is developed? It’s not good to oppose for the sake of opposing.
But Hope Kyeyune, how can an ‘open drainage’ be a den of thieves?’
I would rather think, when it is built over that is when it will become a hide out DEN OF THIEVES, including human DISSAPPEANCES and/or CONCEALED MURDERS.
I have read the comments. However I still believe we must be desirous of a developed country and city. Yes, that channel hides thieves; when it’s not full, thugs rob people and jump into the channel, cross and disappear. That prime space needs to be used for good. The Lord mayor visits other countries, which advantage I don’t have, let him tell city residents how it’s done in the developed world.
Madam Hope, we maybe desirous of developed countries and cities. But way back to the ancient Roman Cities like Rome, those developments were and still are, based on ORIGINAL LONG TERM PLANS. But not the copy cat, wishful-thinking haphazard contraption (kutetenkanya) developments we see around; purely driven by self-interest, in connivance with the current primitive and corrupt power that be.
E.g., after putting up shopping arcades in the Nakivubo Stadium Driveway and Parking Lot who in his/her right state of mind would like to go to that stadium to watch a football match or any sports event? At least not me because, in case of any slightest mishap; it is a literal death trap/sentence.
In was it Mid 1990, Bassajjabalaba wanted the ‘City Square’ now cum Constitutional (POLICE SQUARE) in order to build his Mall. And his greed also could not resist the temptation to grab the current filthy Nakasero Market.
At this rate, I will not be surprised if Kiggundu and Company fenced of the Independence Ground, which as a delaying tactic, has already been CUPTURED by the regime for commercial purpose.
In other words, it is the typical cargo culture of poverty. So much so that Kampala and other mashrooming cities have no breathing space. It is disgusting to the point where they are even building on Road Islands and/or Junction.
All the previous and officially planned and ZONED as leafy and quiet residential suburbs like Kololo, Nakasero, Bugolobi, Nakawa, Naguru, etc.; are being haphazardly turned into literal Hell on Earth. And as a result, most decent and civilized residential properties owners have sold off and quit, rather tan endure the chaos and noise euphemized as ‘development’.
Patrick Hope kyeyune you have a point. But then saying that It’s not good to oppose for the sake of opposing is missing the point indeed. The ancient city of Kampala as a communal African place of settlement has been known to exist during the 4th and 10th century AD when wild animals as well as humans used to roam the place. So nature is well aware of this ancient territory and has been looking after it! Indeed no one is loosing much if it is developed anyhow and then badly destroyed by these Johnny-come-lately African corrupt politicians. There is an environmental famous film that depicts well developed cities that gradually turned into nature’s forests and bush after humanity had been destroyed by a nuclear catastrophic event. By the way right now in the Ukraine war with the super power of Russia that is again destroying itself, there was the nuclear spillover at Chernobyl 1986 that destroyed the city of Pripyat. Again in Russia there was the Kyshtym disaster in 1957 near the city of Ozyorsk, Russia. What about the M7 Luweero armed struggle 1980/86 to bring Pan-African democracy to Uganda, that crippled economically the Kingdom state of Buganda? So now if these democratic greedy politicians of NRM, FDC, NUP and the former dictators of Obote and Amin with their corrupt governance, are bent on destroying Kampala habitant, nature will raise up again in the next centuries and rebuild this habitation again for humanity to prosper!
In other words, this is a HOLY SHIT; what dirty money is doing to this country and/or its urban centres. And God forbid the Nakivubo Dark Channel will not be used by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba (MK) for the UNDERWORLD basement torture and teach the Eddy Mutwe of this country Runyankole and/or the forceful disappearances of disagreeable opposition supporters/members.
Otherwise, everything in this country seems, as well as looks DIRTY, because of the endemic corruption. So much so that I have crossed my heart to boycott all business premises and/or properties capitalized and acquired through corruption, land-grabbing, stealing from and killing Ugandans, sic DIRTY businesses or CRIMINAL MONUMENTS built mingled with the sweat and blood of suffering Ugandans taxpayers money.
E.g., since 2020 Covid-19-Lockdown, with my little money; I would rather support small businesses, and the desperate struggling youths trying to make impossible ends meet in the sweltering heat, dangerous traffic, dusty, muddy and filthy streets of Kampala and its suburbs.
Therefore, I mostly do my shopping at Stop Lights, the small Dukas in the neighbourhood, the roadside fruits and vegetable kiosks, etc.; and in that way, give more space to the big thieves to go and spend their loot to do their big shopping in criminal monumental Shopping Arcades and Malls, until they one day become the proverbial WHITE ELEPHANTS or GHOST BUILDINGS.