KAMPALA – Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has accused a popular businessman with properties around Nakivubo of preparing to forcibly take control of a contested stretch of the Nakivubo channel corridor by midnight, in what he calls a “midnight land grab.”
Lukwago claims the targeted section runs from Ham Stadium through Jugula, Park Yard, Kiseka Market, New Taxi Park, Kiwologoma, and Namirembe Road.
He says the businessman has mobilised equipment, materials, and hired men to cordon off and take over the land if urgent intervention is not made.
The Lord Mayor further accuses the Ministry for Kampala and senior government figures of backing the move, naming another businessman we can only identify here as GK because they have not responded on the allegations, and one of the top Parliament leaders among those involved.
Lukwago, who was speaking at City Hall on Friday, expressed frustration that Kampala Capital City Authority’s earlier steps to safeguard the channel had been abandoned under political pressure.
He recalled that a report presented to the council on April 3, 2025, recommended cancelling all land titles along the corridor, imposing a moratorium on developments, reinstating criminal proceedings against the Nakivubo business mogul, and reprimanding former KCCA Executive Director Frank Rusa.
Instead, Lukwago said, the council approved the continuation of Ham’s developments and controversially awarded Rusa despite his alleged role in facilitating the disputed construction.
“This is impunity at its peak,” Lukwago declared, adding that the businessman appears to be “protected by the powers that be” and is preparing to resume works at midnight.
He announced that an urgent meeting had been convened with stakeholders, including mayors and councillors, led by National Unity Platform Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, to “nip this thuggery in the bud.”
“We have furiously fought the development of the channel at every stage and risked our lives, but we are on our own,” he lamented.
Businessman Hamis Kiggundun is among those with properties threatening the existence of the channel.
The Nakivubo channel is one of Kampala’s key drainage corridors, and disputes over its encroachment have repeatedly pitted city authorities against investors and the central government.