President Yoweri Museveni has directed the ministry for Kampala and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to scrutinise a proposal to redevelop two acres of City Square into a modern, solar-powered commercial complex.
The proposal, submitted by city businessman Hajj Hassan Bulwadda, seeks to transform part of the prominent public space in the heart of Kampala into an eco-friendly real estate development featuring a hotel, shopping mall and other commercial facilities.
In a letter dated August 30, 2026, addressed to minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs Minsa Kabanda, Museveni instructed her to study the proposal, consult KCCA and report back to him.
“I have received a letter from Hajj Hassan Bulwadda dated August 18, 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, etc,” Museveni wrote.
He directed Kabanda to study the proposal, discuss it with KCCA and report back. Bulwadda’s August 18 proposal envisions a commercial complex powered largely by renewable energy, with solar power expected to meet its energy needs.
If approved, the project would significantly alter the character and use of City Square, one of Kampala’s most recognisable public spaces.
Public space under scrutiny
Located in the city centre, City Square is a gazetted public green space that has historically served as a venue for national celebrations, public gatherings and recreation.
For decades, the square has provided one of the few open spaces in Kampala’s congested central business district where people can gather, rest and participate in public events.
The proposed redevelopment is therefore likely to attract scrutiny over public access, urban planning, environmental considerations and the preservation of Kampala’s remaining green and open spaces.
It could also reignite debate over the future of public spaces in the capital, particularly as Kampala continues to experience rapid commercialisation and urban development.
Echoes of Ham’s Nakivubo proposal
The City Square proposal comes about a year after another Kampala businessman, Hamis Kiggundu, submitted a plan to President Museveni seeking to redevelop the Nakivubo drainage channel.
In July 2025, Kiggundu proposed to clean, strengthen and cover sections of the channel at his own cost, with commercial structures to be built above it to enable him to recover his investment.
Museveni subsequently endorsed the proposal, describing it as “imaginative and simple” and directing government agencies to support its implementation.
Kiggundu’s project has since generated controversy, with questions raised by city authorities, environmentalists and traders over planning and environmental approvals, the use of public infrastructure and the potential impact on drainage and public access.
The City Square proposal is different in nature but similarly places a prominent public urban space at the centre of a proposed private commercial development, potentially reviving questions about how Kampala’s public assets should be managed and developed.
The world has enough for our needs but less for our greed.
Ugandans, please, NO to the tribalistic system & UNITY are all you need to stop Rwandese Mueveni spitting all over the zone & ensuring it remains his family property!
Why are Ugandans still tribally divided with tribal leaders payed for doing NOTHING & locked up with Rwandese Museveni & family, instead of owning the zone formed by their tribal lands, then govern as they wish & ensure the Uganda they will form will join today world & not be ignored anymore?
Ugandans, please, WAKE UP, NOW!
Our 86-years-old PROBLEM OF AFRICA, Gen Tibuhaburwa is embarrassingly, the most destructive, degrading and backward president in the 21st Century.
In other words e.g., in the whole wide world (www) since Ancient Greece/Athens Rome and/or City States; Uganda is the only country without a single Public Area/Park in its Urbanization establishment. Simply because, 45 years and counting Gen Tibuhaburwa in his backwardness, has no clue why in every Urban Centre, there are need for open space and/or Public parks (psychological and physical breathing space).
As a result Kampala city is like a Dirty House without windows and Living/siting Room. In an insatiable greed/materialism and utter ignorance; including the Independence Ground in Kololo, former Lugogo/Naguru Sports Ground as well as numerous Road Islands, every Public space has been captured to build so call MODERN COMPLEX.
I suggest that: since we do not need a Second State in Kampala, let him direct the surrender of the Nakasero State House premises to Hajj Hassan Bulwadda, to develop into “a modern, solar-powered commercial complex”!
For the rest of Ugandans who have not set foot therein, since he last grabbed the place at gun point in 1986; there would be no love lost for that premise. Besides, it would even free most the roads around that place; that have become a 3-square mile no-go area.
Alternatively, let the least known Hajj Hassan Bulwadda, develop the Nakasero Market, into the so call “solar-powered commercial complex”. After all, it is now the least accessible, filthiest and most disgusting market in the HEART OF THE CAPITAL CITY!