President Museveni has approved the development of Nakivubo Channel by Kampala businessman, Hamis Kiggundu, also known as Ham.
The businessman over the weekend announced he had been cleared by KCCA to redevelop the channel raised concerns.
However, in an August, 2, 2025 letter to the Prime Minister, President Museveni said he approved Ham’s proposal to redevelop, upgrade, beautify, and improve Nakivubo channel.
“Ham points out that the fact that the channel is open, invites people to throw in rubbish including plastics , feaces, etc , all of which disgust the people , contagious to the channel, lead to blockages of the channel and flooding,” Museveni said.
The letter also copied to the vice president, Minister for Kampala, Minister of Finance, Minister of Education and sports , Attorney General and Minister for presidency gives the businessman, the greenlight to develop the channel.
“I approve of the plan. Help him to execute,” Museveni directed.
The president said Ham will be able to recoup his investment by constructing properties on top of the channel where he will be getting rent.
“His proposal is imaginative and simple. Allow him to cover the channel after cleaning it and strengthening it at his own cost. What a really godly proposal! How will he recover his money? Allow him build properties above it that will bring back his money,” Museveni said.
KCCA, which is providing technical oversight and aligning the initiative with the city’s drainage master plan, had earlier welcomed the public-private partnership as a blueprint for solving Kampala’s toughest challenges.
“The collaboration between public institutions and private investors such as Hamis Kiggundu is exactly what Kampala needs to address long-standing urban challenges. This is not only about AFCON; it is about leaving a permanent legacy of safety, beauty and functionality for city residents,” said a KCCA official.
The development has however left a bitter taste in Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago’s mouth.
He over the weekend made alarm over the development.
“It is unacceptable for someone like Hamis Kiggundu to step in and claim to develop Nakivubo Channel on our behalf as KCCA without an approved plans and in the name of charity. What he is doing is illegal. If his intentions are genuine and lawful, why doesnt he present his proposal openly,” Lukwago fumed.
Describing Ham’s actions as a matter of national importance and that the channel is public property requiring urgent protection, he said he has petitioned parliament over the same.
KCCA gives Ham go ahead to construct on top of Nakivubo channel
