KAMPALA. Chaos erupted Monday at the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) council chambers after councillors clashed with city lord mayor Erias Lukwago during a session convened to seek a lasting solution to the controversial Nakivubo drainage channel project.
This came after Mr Lukwago accused councilors of siding with city businessman Hamis Kiggundu who wants to redevelop the drainage channel without any approval from KCCA.
. Introducing the day’s agenda, Ms Zahara Luyirika, the KCCA Speaker, said the sitting was aimed at discussing the controversies surrounding the Nakivubo drainage channel, assessing its current status, and responding to concerns raised by various stakeholders. The meeting was also expected to generate resolutions arising from the April 3 council session.
However , the special sitting also attended by the KCCA Deputy Executive Director Benon Kigenyi ended prematurely after chaos broke out in the chambers.
During his submission, Mr Lukwago cautioned against supporting the construction of Kiggundu’s project on the channel, warning that the city risked losing about 9 kilometres of land to the propriety magnet who owns Ham Enterprises which reconstructed Nakivubo Stadium and the perimeter complex around the stadium .
Mr Lukwago insisted that KCCA, the Office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG), and the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) should safeguard the environment by halting all activities and demolishing structures erected on the channel by Mr Kiggundu.
I was so disappointed in this council; instead of focusing on reclaiming the Nakivubo drainage channel, they all turned their discussion on me because I criticised the project. I moved a motion that Mr Kiggundu be arrested and prosecuted for his illegal activities, but the motion was rejected by all council members,” said a visibly frustrated Mr Lukwago.
“I also asked them to put a moratorium on the process of issuing land titles by KCCA and the Kampala District Land Board to individual developers on drainage corridors and wetlands, and to commence legal action to ensure that the existing titles are not only cancelled but also rejected,” he added.
The lord mayor’s submissions, however, fell on deaf ears. The debate was severely interrupted by councillors before the situation erupted into chaos. Tempers flared as some councillors shouted at the top of their voices, while others banged tables in protest.
Councillors, including Ms Faridah Nakabugo and Mr Ivan Mubiru, both of the National Unity Platform (NUP) representing Lubaga South, Ms Angel Kwagala from Kawempe South, and Ms Faustina Bitano from Makindye West, among others, stood up, shouted and banged tables, disrupting communication.
Some councillors claimed that unfamiliar individuals had stormed the chambers. Many were seen on their feet for about five minutes, shouting. Private security was called in, but the chaos spread further.
“Madam Speaker, we are not safe; the council is under attack; people are going to beat us; they can do what they want,” several councillors shouted, as others continued banging tables. The situation spiralled out of control, and not even the Speaker’s interventions and reminders to respect the sitting could restore order.
“I think now we have exhausted everything; the meeting is adjourned,” Ms Luyirika announced, before suspending the session. During the meeting, many NUP councillors accused Mr Lukwago of wrongly accusing them of siding with Mr Kiggundu. They demanded that he withdraw his statements and apologise to the council, but he did not.
Nakivubo plan
Although KCCA and Nema say they have not approved Kiggundu’s plans to construct shops above the channel , an August 17 AI-generated video posted on his Twitter account suggested that the channel would be modernised.
The video depicted swirling plastic waste, half-broken footbridges, vendors trading precariously close to the edges, and waste pickers scavenging inside the channel. Nakivubo River (now Channel) is the biggest swamp in the city, covering 5.3 square kilometres. It is the main storm water channel in the city and it filters waste water before it enters Lake Victoria at Luzira in Kampala City.