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The fate of Kampala’s historic Constitutional/City Square is now in the hands of a high-level government team, with a six-member ministerial committee examining young billionaire Hajj Hassan Bulwadda’s approximately UGX400 billion ($125m) proposal to turn part of the City Square into a modern eco-friendly commercial and hospitality hub.
The committee, chaired by Kampala Minister and Kampala Central MP Minsa Kabanda, is studying the proposal after President YK Museveni directed her to consult KCCA, assess the feasibility of the project and report back to him.
The committee brings together State Minister for Tourism Susan Nakawuki, State Minister for Internal Affairs Juma Kisekka Witonze, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Judith Nabakooba; Attorney General Dr Sam Mayanja, Minister for the Presidency Milly Babalanda, and State Minister for Kampala Affairs Kabuye Kyofatogabye, with Kabanda leading the review.
Sources familiar with the committee’s deliberations indicate that a majority of the officials examining the proposal are inclined to support the development, provided its green and public-use features are protected.
Museveni’s August 30 directive followed Hajj Hassan Bulwadda’s proposal seeking to develop about two acres of City Square into what the President himself described as a “modern, eco-friendly real estate complex” featuring a hotel, shopping mall and other facilities using solar power.
Sources familiar with the committee’s deliberation say the broad thinking among members is that the strategically located monumental property can be put to productive modern use, with the main consideration being how the development can preserve greenery and retain facilities that allow ordinary Kampala residents to enjoy the space.
The six-member ministerial committee chaired by Kabanda has already commenced its work, with the team expected to make recommendations that will ultimately guide the President’s decision.
Hon Kabanda herself has given the proposal an important boost, publicly indicating that she is not opposed to Bulwadda’s development provided the environmental safeguards are properly demonstrated.
“If Hajj Bulwadda’s plan demonstrates how the environment will be protected, I have no problem with allowing him to undertake the development he wants,” Kabanda said.
Her position is significant because it places environmental protection, rather than development itself, at the centre of the discussion. The businessman’s proposal is also considerably broader than simply putting up a hotel and shopping mall.
Hajj Hassan Bulwadda has outlined a major mixed-use development featuring thousands of commercial spaces, a 250-room hotel, public relaxation areas, greenery, water features, free Wi-Fi, public toilets, banking facilities and opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
The proposed plan according to state media reporting provides for about 3,500 shops, with one major building accommodating approximately 1,000 shops and the hotel, while another structure would provide about 2,500 additional commercial spaces.
The plan also incorporates greenery and solar energy capabilities, while a tourism exhibition facility has been proposed as part of the development.
The young billionaire maintained, in a recent interview on Buganda Kingdom’s CBS FM, that the project is intended to combine commercial investment with public amenities and environmental considerations, rather than simply eliminate the green character of City Square.
His proposal has also been discussed against the backdrop of previous efforts to commercially develop the same property.
In 2001, businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba told Parliament that his HABA Group had won a tender to redevelop City Square and paid the then Kampala City Council UGX1.6 billion. He said the earlier concept would have preserved the green space while placing commercial facilities beneath it.
The renewed proposal therefore brings back an old Kampala question, of how to make productive use of one of the capital’s most valuable central properties while retaining its public and environmental character.
But unlike previous attempts, Hajj Hassan Bulwadda’s plan comes at a time when Kampala is witnessing major private-sector redevelopment, with projects such as the Nakivubo redevelopment demonstrating the scale of investment now being channelled into the city’s commercial infrastructure.
And as the City Square debate continues, government has been careful to stress that no land has yet been handed over to Bulwadda. KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki has clarified that Gen Museveni’s directive was to study the proposal and consult KCCA, not to give away the land.
She said KCCA’s technical and political leadership will also have an opportunity to submit their views before the minister reports back to the President.
This means the project is still awaiting the final government decision.
However, for the investor, the fact that his proposal has reached the highest level of government, secured a formal ministerial review and attracted indications of support within the committee, marks a significant step forward for his plan to turn City Square into a modern commercial, tourism and recreational landmark for Kampala.
