Who Is Fooling Who? Making Sense Out of The Kampala Floods Confusion with Uganda’s Capital City `Impotent` Managers Blaming Private Investor Hamis Kiggundu

KAMPALA, Uganda: The Sunday heavy downpour that hit Kampala, leaving in its wake, floods, ignited an interesting war of words between Kampala Capital City authorities and businessman Hamis Kiggundu aka Ham. The city authorities contend it was Ham, as the businessman is popularly known, who caused the floods that submerged Owino market.

They claim that Ham encroached on the drainage system in Owino market, blocking the flow of rainwater, leading to the floods. The businessman partnered with the government of Uganda to revamp the Hams Nakivubo National Stadium. President Yoweri Museveni personally contacted Ham to break down the previous ramshackle stadium and build a standard one in its place.

Ham hired Roko Construction who have since completed much of the works at the stadium. Despite the ongoing final touches, CAF and FIFA have since certified the stadium, authorizing Uganda to host the 2027 AFCON games. The Kampala Capital City authorities claim that it was during the process of completion of the stadium that Ham encroached on the drainage system in Owino market.

But Ham counters that despite their denials, the city authorities leased the land under contestation to him. Additionally, he emphasizes his accusers approved his building plans and survey reports. He denies encroaching on the Catholic Church’s nor of that of Owino market space. He emphasizes that it was the market and the Church that encroached on his land.

Notably, since it was President Yoweri Museveni who personally handed Ham the job of constructing the national stadium, it’s accordingly him who should equally tell the country what land around Nakivubo he handed to the private developer to use to carry out the said task. The Capital City authorities are more or less government employees and therefore subordinates of the President who cannot tell with certainty what land the Head of State allocated to Ham and what he did not.

Until now, the President has not come forward with an explanation, meaning whatever the city authorities are talking about are merely assumptions.

Furthermore, Ham argues that he is fixing the drainage system around the stadium in line with the directives of CAF and FIFA. He underscores that CAF and FIFA recommended so in order to bring the stadium into comformity with the internationally acceptable standards. But statutory, it’s KCCA which is supposed to fix the drainage system in Kampala. However, much of the same remain in a really sorry state, leading to the floods.

Notably, the ministers in charge of Kampala, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda and Kabuye Kyofatogabye have since joined the Kampala Capital City authorities in blaming Ham. But those are the usual games the two politicians play to deflect blame. Yet the fact remains that the two are the political heads in Kampala. This means, the duo are the ones who are obligated to lobby the president for funds to fix the problems of the Capital City including the bad drainage system.

For one recent example, when mountains of garbage in Kiteezi collapsed and killed scores of people and destroyed properties, Kabanda and Kyofatogabye blamed the KCCA Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka, his Deputy, Luyimbazi and the Director of Health Services, Dr Daniel Okello. This posture, as if their scapegoats were supposed to use their personal funds to fix a public problem.

And yet the two sit with the President every Monday of the week, but not only failed to lobby him for funds to decommission the landfill, but to commission an alternative one. Fortunately, much as the Inspectorate of Government (IG) was shy to cite the two ministers for prosecution, a parliamentary committee has since recommended for their prosecution over their failure to carry out their oversight duties the Kiteezi garbage.

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Stephen Kasozi Muwambi: Mr. Stephen Kasozi Muwambi is a seasoned crime investigative writer, majoring in judicial-based stories. His two decades’ experience as a senior investigative journalist has made him one of the best to reckon on in Uganda. He can also be reached via [email protected]