The heavy rainfall recently submerged key commercial areas in downtown Kampala, leading to massive financial losses and the tragic loss of lives. News reports confirm that the crisis is deeply intertwined with the controversial redevelopment of the city’s primary drainage channel.
Nakivubo Channel
Recent heavy downpours had caused severe flooding in low-lying commercial areas including:
- Arcades near the Nakivubo Channel (e.g., Nabukeera, Qualicell, Sekaziga, and Ham Arcades).
- The New Taxi Park.
- Owino Market and surrounding informal settlements like Kisenyi.
Traders reported that their merchandise, including imported clothes and other goods, was destroyed in floodwaters that rose suddenly and rapidly. There were also confirmed reports of at least three fatalities in the Kisenyi drainage channel area where floodwaters swept over victims.
Construction on Public Land as a core controversy
The immediate cause of the devastating flood was widely attributed to the ongoing construction and redevelopment works on the Nakivubo Channel led by businessman Hamis Kiggundu (Ham).
According to the trader’s blame, traders under the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) and affected shop owners argued that the contractor had effectively blocked or choked the main drainage artery, preventing storm runoff from the city center from flowing out.
While for KCCA’s position, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) had publicly attributed the severe flooding to the ongoing developments on the Nakivubo drainage channel. They had sent technical teams to assess the damage.
In the political conflict, the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, had vehemently blamed the developer for “sheer recklessness” and accused certain government actors of colluding in what he called the illegal conversion of public trustee land (the drainage reserve) into a private commercial development. He was demanding compensation for the victims.
Impact and Demands
- Financial Loss: Traders were counting losses amounting to billions of shillings and feared that they might not be able to recover without intervention, especially those operating on bank loans.
- Demand for Action: KACITA had also petitioned KCCA for urgent intervention, including calling for an immediate halt to all construction works on the Nakivubo Channel until a proper assessment would be done.
- Crisis Meetings: Lord Mayor Lukwago announced he would be calling a crisis meeting inviting key stakeholders, including the Minister for Kampala, to resolve the issue.
The flooding crisis in Kampala was a clear example of how unregulated urban development, encroachment on natural drainage systems (like wetlands), and inadequate city infrastructure converge to threaten the livelihoods and lives of citizens.
In summary, while the KCCA and city leadership acknowledge the project was the cause of the flooding and was legally questionable, the political protection it enjoyed meant that the construction had not been permanently halted, and the victims’ demands for compensation remained unaddressed by the government.
