A parliamentary showdown erupted over the controversial redevelopment of Nakivubo Channel when the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) abruptly halted its probe into Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) officials after Speaker Anita Among reassigned the matter to another team under the Physical Infrastructure Committee.
The committee chaired by Medard Lubega Ssegona (Busiro East) which sat on Tuesday, had summoned KCCA’s Deputy Executive Director, Benon Kigeni, and his team to explain how Kiham Enterprises, owned by city businessman Dr. Hamis Kigundu, began works on the channel without statutory approvals.
In his communication, Sseggona announced that he had received communication from the Office of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among, informing him that a five-member panel under Parliament’s Physical Infrastructure Committee had been assigned to carry out a fact-finding mission into the same matter.
President Museveni’s Directive
At the heart of the controversy is a presidential directive. On August 2, 2025, President Yoweri Museveni wrote to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja endorsing Kiggundu’s proposal to cover, strengthen and redevelop Nakivubo Channel at his own cost, while recovering his investment through commercial developments above the drainage corridor.
Describing it as “a godly proposal,” the President instructed that the businessman be supported to “execute without delay.” Days later, Kampala Minister Minsa Kabanda reinforced the directive in a letter to the KCCA Executive Director, ordering technical teams to provide Kiggundu with full approvals and support.
However, the KCCA Planning Committee, still assessing the proposal’s ecological and infrastructural implications, accused ‘Kiham’ of rushing ahead with unauthorized site works, including excavation and demolition, without clearance.
In a stern letter dated August 20, 2025, KCCA warned that such unregulated works risked flooding, property damage, and obstruction of businesses. Kiggundu was ordered to stop and clear debris, unblock storm drains, and maintain safety hoardings.
When COSASE pressed KCCA on why enforcement had not been carried out, Kigeni revealed that police had denied access to enforcement teams.
Summons and Documents on the Table
The committee, alarmed by the revelations, summoned several key figures including the Internal Affairs Minister, Inspector General of Police, Kampala Minister, Lord Mayor, Speaker of the Authority, and members of KCCA’s Physical Planning Committee.
COSASE also requested all relevant documents: Kiham’s development application, minutes of the Planning Committee and Council meetings, and ministerial directives.
But just as the committee prepared to grill the officials, Ssegona disclosed that Speaker Among had already constituted a separate oversight panel led by Dan Kimosho (Kazo County) with MPs Peter Mugema (Iganga Municipality), David Kabanda (Kasambya), Nsegumire Kibedi (Mityana North), and Rwemulikya Ibanda (Ntoroko) to visit the site and report within 14 days.
Was the Speaker’s Move Legal? MPs Clash
The Speaker’s intervention sparked heated debate among COSASE members.
Yusuf Nsibambi (Mawokota South) questioned the legality of the so-called fact-finding team, arguing that parliamentary rules only recognize Select or Ad Hoc Committees, both of which require motions and consultation with party whips. “Every power to come up with a committee has to be through Parliament. You cannot enforce an illegality. It is null and void ab initio,” Nsibambi argued.
Hillary Kiyaga (Mawokota North) backed him, raising doubts about whether the Speaker’s letter was authentic and whether procedure had been followed given Parliament is currently in recess.
But Chairperson Ssegona insisted that the letter was genuine, signed by Speaker Among herself on August 19. “It is not within the province of this Committee to make a ruling on the Speaker’s legality or otherwise,” he said, ruling that COSASE could not proceed with a matter already assigned to another committee.
Lord Mayor, Authority Leaders Cry Foul
Kampala Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago condemned the abrupt redirection as a deliberate disruption of accountability. “Disturbing as it is, it is not shocking,” he said. “This is a matter of great national importance that should have called for a special sitting of Parliament. Instead of halting the process, the Speaker should have recalled MPs from recess to expedite a report this very week.”
Lukwago warned that KCCA’s 72-acre drainage corridor, stretching 9 kilometers from Makerere to Luzira, was at risk of being “grabbed under the guise of development.”
Echoing his concerns, Zahara Luyirika, the Speaker of the Authority, stressed that Council had never sat to approve the giveaway of Nakivubo Channel to any investor. “I want to inform the entire nation and the people of Kampala that we have never, as Council, given away the channel,” she declared.
Channel of National Importance
The Nakivubo Channel, Kampala’s largest storm water drainage system, has long been plagued by flooding, encroachment, and garbage dumping. While Kiggundu’s proposal promises a modernized and covered channel with commercial development above, critics argue that handing over a critical public asset to a private developer without full feasibility studies undermines both environmental safety and public accountability.
The Auditor General had also flagged concerns of encroachment on KCCA land in his 2024 report, prompting COSASE to dig deeper. With works already ongoing, however, KCCA officials maintain they are caught between presidential directives, ministerial orders, and their own regulatory frameworks.
Next Steps: Committee Tensions Remain
For now, COSASE has agreed to hand the Nakivubo Channel file to the Physical Infrastructure Committee, but will continue probing related issues flagged in the Auditor General’s report particularly land encroachment within KCCA’s jurisdiction.
Yet the tension between parliamentary procedure and executive directives remains unresolved. Nsibambi warned that if Parliament normalizes “illegal directives,” oversight will collapse. Lukwago has hinted at mobilizing legal and civic resistance against what he described as a “72-acre land grab.”
Whether the Physical Infrastructure team will deliver an impartial report within 14 days, or whether this twist will deepen suspicions of political shielding, remains to be seen.
For the people of Kampala, however, the stakes are immediate and tangible: if the channel is mishandled, the city risks trading its storm drainage lifeline for skyscrapers and shopping malls built over a ticking flood bomb.