The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has ordered businessman Hamis Kiggundu’s Kiham Enterprises Ltd to immediately stop all construction activities along the Nakivubo Drainage Channel, citing the absence of necessary statutory approvals.
The directive was issued following a meeting chaired by KCCA Deputy Executive Director Benon Kigenyi. He stated that Kiggundu had been instructed to clear construction debris, restore the natural flow of stormwater, and remove any obstructions from the channel to prevent flooding and protect public safety.
“We instructed him to halt all activities that are ongoing without the requisite statutory guidance and permission,” Kigenyi confirmed in a post-meeting statement.
The KCCA intervention comes shortly after President Yoweri Museveni wrote to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja endorsing Kiggundu’s controversial proposal to cover and redevelop the drainage channel. Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, however, dismissed the project as “illegal and fraudulent.”
While KCCA has not entirely ruled out redevelopment, city officials stress that any modifications to Kampala’s primary stormwater system must align with planning and environmental regulations.
Environmental and engineering experts have also raised alarms. Civil engineer Apollo Buregyeya warned that covering the drainage with concrete slabs could worsen the situation.
“Once you cover a channel, every blockage becomes invisible. Every malfunction hides underground. Every flood hits harder. Add weak governance, and what you get is not modernization but denial,” Buregyeya cautioned.
KCCA emphasized that discussions with stakeholders will continue, but until full regulatory approvals are secured, all of Kiggundu’s construction work along the Nakivubo Channel remains suspended.
