The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) on Tuesday scrambled a digger and workmen to demolish a highly nefarious audacity in the city after a dweller erected a perimeter wall fencing right inside a storm water drainage channel in Lubaga Division.
Responding to public outcry after pictures of the shameless masonry was published on social media, KCCA first issues a demolition order for the illegal structure, describing the incident as a clear case of public infrastructure encroachment.
The authority directed a resident identified as Charles Odek to immediately remove the structure and restore the drainage channel along Liberty Church Road to its original state.
“This is therefore to require you remove and restore the roadside drainage (storm water channel) to its original state,” the enforcement notice reads in part.
The intervention follows public outrage after images circulated online showing what many described as an “audacious encroachment” — a partially built brick wall deliberately constructed within a functional drainage channel.
In the image that sparked widespread condemnation, the drainage line appears physically narrowed and in some sections almost sealed off by a rough, unfinished masonry wall.
Bricks, soil, and construction debris are scattered along the channel, with visible interference to the natural flow path of storm water.
The wall runs uncomfortably close to the roadway, effectively eating into what should be a clear water passage. Vegetation and a residential compound sit just meters away, highlighting how quickly private construction has pushed into public utility space.
Two officials are seen standing at the site, appearing to inspect the damage and assess the extent of the encroachment. The scene reflects not just an illegal structure, but a visible alteration of a drainage system meant to protect the entire neighbourhood from flooding.
The matter gained attention after a social media post by McWilliams Mwembu, who alleged that the construction was being carried out without approval and involved a KCCA staff member.
“This is an ongoing construction in our neighbourhood here in Rubaga… she’s building without a plan and constructing foundation in a waterway,” Mwembu wrote.
KCCA spokesperson Daniel NuweAbine said preliminary information suggests the property may have changed ownership, though verification is still ongoing.
“From what we have heard, we are yet to verify. She says she sold, but we need to confirm whether that is true,” NuweAbine said.
He added that enforcement action had already been taken against the current person of interest.
“But we have now the person who has interest in the land. He has been served. Our teams have gone there,” he said.
KCCA has since issued a firm directive requiring full restoration of the drainage channel and ordered that all further construction must first receive official approval.
The authority warned that failure to comply would lead to forceful demolition of the structure at the owner’s cost and possible prosecution.
The incident has reignited concern over increasing encroachment on drainage systems in Kampala, with officials warning that such developments heighten flood risks, especially during heavy rainfall seasons.