Cabinet has blocked a proposal to redevelop City Square, formally known as Constitution Square, directing that the site retains its existing legal status as a protected heritage area.
Minister for ICT and National Guidance Justine Kasule Lumumba announced the decision while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre on Tuesday, saying Cabinet had considered the site’s historical significance, legal protection and environmental and urban planning concerns before reversing the proposed development.
“Cabinet has decided to reverse the proposal for the development of City Square, formally known as Constitution Square, and retain the site’s existing legal status,” Kasule Lumumba said.
She said Constitution Square is a protected heritage site whose preservation is anchored in the country’s legal framework, adding that decisions concerning the area must take into account its historical importance.
“Constitution Square is a protected heritage site. Its protection dates back to 2007 and is recognised under the Museums and Monuments Act, 2023, and the heritage protection instrument issued in 2024,” she said.
According to the minister, the protected site covers approximately 1.172 hectares, comprising plots 5, 6 and 7, and contains the 1945 War Memorial, which commemorates Ugandan soldiers who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.
“The Square and its memorial are part of our national history. Decisions about the site must respect that history and its protected status,” Kasule Lumumba said.
She emphasised that the government’s position had been settled, urging the public to understand that the proposed redevelopment would not proceed under the plan that had been presented.
“The public should therefore be clear: Cabinet has reversed the development proposal. Constitution Square will retain its existing legal status,” she said.
The proposed redevelopment followed a directive by President Yoweri Museveni asking the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Minsa Kabanda, to examine a proposal submitted by businessman Hassan Bulwadda to transform the site into a modern real estate complex.
In a directive dated August 30, 2026, Museveni said he had received a proposal from Bulwadda, dated August 18, 2026, seeking permission to redevelop the approximately two-acre site in central Kampala into an environmentally friendly complex featuring a hotel, shopping mall and other facilities powered by solar energy.
“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 proposed project was intended to introduce a mixed-use commercial development combining hospitality and retail facilities, with solar power forming part of its environmental design.
Museveni directed Kabanda to study the proposal, consult the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and report back to him before any further decisions were taken.
However, Cabinet’s latest decision reverses the redevelopment proposal and maintains the site’s existing legal status, underscoring the importance of preserving Constitution Square as a protected heritage site in the capital.
The decision places the historical and legal protection of the Square, including the war memorial, at the centre of the government’s position on the future of the site.
