Hamis Kiggundu fumes as KCCA destroys trees he donated to them

Businessman, Hamis Kiggundu has taken offence with the manner in which KCCA has started uprooting some of the trees he donated to them earlier this year to help in beautification of the city and replenish of the green environment.

In a post on X , accompanied with a couple of videos, Kiggundu said he was dismayed by the act.

“Its really sad seeing these KCCA employees poisoning and destroying these palm trees.....where is the patriotism.....We spent alot of money and time... buying,donating, planting and maintaining these royal palm trees across the entire city under their watch and supervision....with such impunitive acts unprosecuted we have a long way to develop as a country...” Kiggundu said on Friday.

The trees

In January, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)  received a substantial boost in its green initiatives as prominent businessman, Hamis Kigundu donated 100,000 trees.

The initiative, designed to enhance the beautiful appeal of the city and contribute to a more environmentally friendly urban landscape, was officially inaugurated with a tree-planting ceremony along Ggaba road in Makindye Division attended by the Kampala Minister, Minsa Kabanda, KCCA Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka and Kiggundu.

https://x.com/KiggunduHamis/status/1801643685529948629

Speaking then, the KCCA Executive Director expressed gratitude for Kigundu's significant donation and called upon other individuals and businesses to follow his example.

However, in a statement on Friday, KCCA defended the move of uprooting some of the trees planted ahead of the Non Aligned Movement and G77 Summits in Kampala.

“KCCA is conducting a comprehensive examination of the green coverage in the city to ensure that the existing trees, shrubs and other green coverage conforms to traffic regulations and public property safety regulations,” the statement read in part.

They said they are trimming all trees that may affect power lines, street lights and security camera visibility and transplanting the trees planted in road islands of less than two meters width

“KCCA is relocating trees that are likely to obstruct visibility and free flow of traffic once fully grown and  removing trees that have dried up or not in tandem with the expected planned beautification for some areas .”