Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has once again locked horns with Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja over the refurbishment of Nakivubo Channel by businessman Hamis Kiggundu, insisting the works are ‘illegal and detrimental’ to public interest.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, 27th August 2025, Lukwago said Kiggundu has no legal claim to the land and has not paid dues to the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

“I will not stop fighting for the city’s interests,” he declared, announcing plans to reconvene the city planning committee next week to deliberate further on the matter.

The Lord Mayor also dismissed the inquiry panel led by Speaker of Parliament Anita Among as lacking impartiality while calling on environmentalists, civil society groups, and the public to resist what he described as an “illegal takeover” of public land.

On Tuesday this week, Nabbanja told reporters that Kiggundu’s works must continue, brushing aside KCCA’s directive halting construction. She accused Lukwago of seeking cheap publicity and branded him an obstacle to city development.

The latest row is not the first time the two leaders have clashed over Nakivubo. The channel, Kampala’s main drainage artery, has long been at the centre of disputes involving flooding, land ownership, and redevelopment projects.

However, Kiggundu has staunchly defended his ambitious Nakivubo Channel redevelopment project, framing it as a transformative initiative aimed at modernizing Kampala’s urban landscape and addressing longstanding drainage challenges.

Kiggundu’s plan includes covering and reinforcing the channel to prevent flooding, building commercial properties above it, and adding pedestrian zones, green spaces, and modern waste management systems. Water filtration and solid waste management measures are also part of the project.

Privately funded by Kiggundu, the project has been endorsed by President Yoweri Museveni, who described it as “imaginative and simple.” The President authorized Kiggundu to carry out the work at his own cost, including constructing properties above the channel to recover his investment, marking a major step toward modernizing Kampala’s infrastructure.

While some see the refurbishment spearheaded by Kiggundu as part of a broader redevelopment plan, essential to upgrade the city’s infrastructure, those opposed, like Lukwago, warn that private interests might override public good.

The Nakivubo Channel, which drains water from Kampala into Lake Victoria, has become choked by garbage, encroachment, and poor urban planning, and city dwellers are calling for a fast and permanent solution.