By Spy Uganda
The much-publicized parliamentary probe into the Nakivubo Channel redevelopment spearheaded by businessman Dr. Hamis Kiggundu (Ham) has been abruptly halted, following a directive from the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Among.
The Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), chaired by Hon. Medard Ssegona, had convened on Tuesday with top officials from the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), including Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, when the communication from the Speaker was delivered.
In her letter, Among directed that the matter be transferred to a five-member panel under the Physical Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Kazo County MP Dan Kimosho. The unexpected move left MPs, journalists, and KCCA officials stunned, but signaled a shift in parliamentary oversight of the controversial project.
“I have done my part; we have been doing oversight work as a committee, and now my job is to send over the documents as I received them from the KCCA team to Kimosho’s committee,” Ssegona told members.
The Speaker’s intervention comes just weeks after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni himself strongly endorsed Ham’s proposal to redevelop, upgrade, and modernize the drainage channel. In a letter dated 2nd August 2025, the President described the project as “very good, imaginative, and simple,” praising Ham for offering a solution to Kampala’s recurring flooding at no cost to government.
According to the proposal, Ham will cover the channel, structurally reinforce it, and clean it thoroughly. In return, he will be allowed to develop commercial properties above it to recoup his investment. Museveni hailed the plan as a “godly proposal” that would both address a pressing environmental issue and spur economic development.
Lukwago’s Resistance Falls Flat
Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has repeatedly branded the project “illegal,” accusing Ham of encroachment and lack of transparency. However, both the President’s endorsement and now the Speaker’s decisive redirection of the probe appear to have deflated his resistance.
Observers note that Lukwago and his allies have yet to table a practical alternative that offers both a cleaner drainage system and downtown redevelopment without burdening taxpayers.
The Nakivubo Channel, notorious for being choked with plastics, sewage, and urban waste, has long been a public health hazard and a driver of flooding in Kampala. Ham’s project not only aims to modernize the drainage system but also to beautify and commercialize the surrounding area, transforming Kampala’s central business district.
With the executive and now the legislature realigning oversight, momentum seems firmly behind Ham’s redevelopment. The Speaker’s directive effectively shields the project from unnecessary obstruction and places it under a committee better suited to handle infrastructure-related matters.
As one MP whispered after the session, “This is no longer just Ham’s project – it is a national priority.”
