By Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has directed city businessman Hamis Kiggundu to open drainage channels around the Nakivubo Channel to ease the flow of stormwater and prevent further flooding in downtown Kampala.
Nabbanja issued the directive during an on-site inspection of the Nakivubo redevelopment project, which has been at the center of public outcry following recent floods that destroyed property in arcades and shops near the Nakivubo drainage system.
Speaking on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni, Nabbanja said she had been dispatched to assess the situation and ensure that the ongoing construction does not worsen the city’s flooding problem.
“On behalf of the President, who this morning directed that I come here to see exactly what is happening, I think everybody has seen that the drainage channel has been constructed,” Nabbanja said. “However, the culvert crossings that are supposed to carry water to the drainage channel are limited. I want to direct that you open space for more culverts so that they can bring as much volume of water into the channel.”
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The Prime Minister also instructed the Ministry of Works and Transport to provide technical guidance to ensure the redesign of the drainage system accommodates future water flow needs.
An engineer from the ministry, who accompanied the Prime Minister, acknowledged that while additional culverts would help in the short term, there was a need for a long-term plan to expand the entire drainage network.
“The bigger picture is that we need to look at the future expansion of this channel,” he said. “We need to understand how to mitigate future overflows and improve the outside drainage system. The stormwater from Nakasero and surrounding buildings is currently relying on a single culvert, which is insufficient.”
In his remarks, businessman Hamis Kiggundu, the developer overseeing the Nakivubo Channel project, defended the construction works, saying they were aimed at solving long-standing flooding and sanitation challenges in the area.
“The intention of this development was to mitigate the existing problems among which we always had floods,” Kiggundu said. “We were not hoping this channel would break but to correct what was wrong. Many people had lost their lives here since it was an open channel, so it had to be covered to ensure safety.”
Kiggundu further argued that the redevelopment was also meant to improve the aesthetics and safety of the area surrounding the Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium, which he said had long suffered from poor drainage and environmental degradation.
“The channel is right next to an international stadium, but the open drainage had always degraded the entire surrounding area,” he said. “To mitigate all that, we undertook this project to improve both safety and the city’s image.”
The Prime Minister, while acknowledging Kiggundu’s efforts, emphasized that construction must be balanced with proper drainage planning to prevent future flooding, especially in the business-heavy downtown area.
The Nakivubo drainage redevelopment has sparked controversy among city traders, many of whom accuse the project of narrowing or blocking natural water passages, leading to repeated flooding of shops and arcades during heavy rains. The government has now tasked both Kiggundu’s construction team and the Ministry of Works to collaborate on immediate remedial measures while continuing the broader redevelopment project.
Nabbanja concluded her inspection by assuring the affected traders that the government remains committed to finding lasting solutions to Kampala’s persistent flooding problems, emphasizing that infrastructure development must not come at the cost of public safety and livelihoods.
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