KAMPALA.Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has ordered city businessman Hamis Kiggundu to immediately halt all activities along the Nakivubo Drainage Channel and first lack of statutory approvals.
The directive comes after a meeting between Mr Kiggundu and KCCA Deputy Executive Director, Benon Kigenyi and other officials
.During the meeting Mr Kiggundu was instructed to remove all the debris caused by his construction works, restore proper storm water flow, and ensure that the hoarded sections of the channel are maintained to avoid risks of flooding or harm to human life.
Through his company Kiham Enterprises Ltd,Mr Kiggundu last week fended off the channel from between Kisekka Market and Biwologoma near Clock Tower .
“We instructed him to halt all activities that are ongoing without the requisite statutory guidance and permission,” Kigenyi said in a statement after the meeting.
KCCA’s intervention comes days after President Museveni wrote to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja okaying Kiggundu’s proposal to cover and redevelop the channel, a move that Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago dismissed as “illegal and fraudulent.”
While KCCA has not opposed redevelopment out rightly , officials emphasized that any structural alterations to the city’s main drainage system must comply with planning and environmental laws.
KCCA says further engagements will continue, but until statutory approvals are secured as Kiggundu’s construction remains suspended.
The main channel on Nakivubo River (now Channel) is about 9 kilometres.
Nakivubo is the biggest swamp and main storm water channel in Kampala City. It filters waste water before it enters Lake Victoria