Kampala MP Aspirant Petitions World Bank Over Hamis Kiggundu’s Nakivubo Project

Kampala Central MP aspirant Susan Kushaba has formally petitioned the World Bank, urging the institution to intervene in the ongoing redevelopment of Nakivubo Channel by Kiham Enterprises, a company owned by businessman Hamis Kiggundu – Radio 5 reports.

In her petition dated September 17, 2025, Kushaba, representing a section of Kampala’s downtown business community, accuses the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), government ministries, and Kiggundu of bypassing legal and environmental safeguards in the project’s execution.

Kushaba highlights that the World Bank previously financed the Nakivubo Channel Rehabilitation Project in 1999 with a $19.15 million loan. The project’s environmental assessment recommended measures such as widening the channel, planting trees, realigning its course, and setting up an escrow account for maintenance. She questions whether these safeguards have been observed in the current redevelopment, alleging that the project is proceeding without a certificate of environmental impact assessment, a clear working plan, or competitive bidding.

The petition also raises concerns about the project’s impact on local traders, citing incidents where flash floods have destroyed merchandise in downtown shopping arcades and parts of Owino Market. Kushaba calls on the World Bank to halt financing to KCCA until the anomalies in the project are rectified and to demand compensation for affected traders.

The controversy surrounding the Nakivubo Channel redevelopment has attracted political attention. Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has directed a committee inquiry into how KCCA was bypassed in the project’s approval process. President Yoweri Museveni, however, endorsed the project in an August 2 letter, describing it as imaginative and instructing its facilitation.

The World Bank has not yet responded to Kushaba’s petition. KCCA spokesperson Daniel Nuwabine declined to comment on the accusations.

This development underscores ongoing tensions between urban development initiatives and environmental and community concerns in Kampala.

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