We never approved Nakivubo Channel works - KCCA

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has distanced itself from the ongoing construction activities at the Nakivubo Channel, placing the blame over the recent devastating floods that swept through downtown Kampala, on businessman Hamis Kiggundu

In a televised interview last night, Sharifah Buzeki, the KCCA Executive Director (ED), confirmed that while President Yoweri Museveni had offered political greenlight to the project, the requisite technical approval from the KCCA was never obtained before the commencement of the works.

"By the time he started constructing, he had no approved plan," she stated. "He had to submit all the requirements that we gave him in September. He hoarded off the site and we told him to stop, invited him and informed him of what he needed to do."

Buzeki explained that when the presidential directive was transmitted via the Prime Minister, the instruction was KCCA must support the channel construction. However, she stressed the President's approval was conditional on compliance.

"The president did not direct Hamis to start construction," Buzeki asserted. 

"What that meant was that as the technical team, we were supposed to give him what he needed to do to have that development on that channel, which we gave, and he was supposed to comply with our requirement before beginning. At the time of hoarding off the site he did not have any of the paperwork needed."

This procedural shortcut became tragically clear when the initial flash floods hit, inundating roads and leaving massive volumes of water and debris behind. 

"That was why we wrote to him to stop the construction and we clearly spelt out what he needed to submit first. As we were still waiting for him to submit the paperwork; the first flash floods happened."

Following the second, equally destructive flooding last week, which again brought the city to a standstill, KCCA’s posture shifted from technical waiting to crisis management. 

"We still have not done the approval but we have sent out engineers to do corrective measures as we work on the approval," Buzeki confirmed.