By Mulengera Reporters
The architectural plan for Businessman Hajji Hassan Bulwadda’s proposed UGX400 billion redevelopment of Kampala’s Constitutional/City Square has offered a glimpse into the scale and design of the investment he wants to establish at one of the location.
The proposed development, estimated at about $125 million, would occupy roughly two acres and combine commercial space, hospitality, tourism facilities and public amenities, while retaining significant areas for greenery and public use.
The plan comprises two major buildings. The structure towards the Supreme Court side is designed to accommodate about 1,000 shops and a 250-room hotel, while another building towards Kampala Road would provide about 2,500 additional shops.
This would bring the total proposed commercial space to about 3,500 shops, making the project a major retail and business hub in the heart of the capital.
But the plan does not envisage covering the entire site with concrete and buildings.
An open landscaped area is proposed in front of the first building, with grass, trees and space where people can sit, relax and also take pictures. A water feature is also included in the concept.
The development would further provide free public toilets, free Wi-Fi, banking facilities and designated resting spaces, while young businessmen and women would be given priority in accessing some of the commercial spaces.
The plan also provides for a tourism exhibition facility where the Ministry of Tourism could showcase the country’s tourism products and attractions, adding a public-facing component to what would otherwise be a largely commercial development.
Greenery is incorporated into the upper sections of the proposed buildings, while solar energy is expected to play a significant role in powering the complex.
The proposal comes at a time when Kampala is undergoing a number of major redevelopment projects, including the transformation of Nakivubo Stadium and surrounding commercial areas, with private investment increasingly being brought into the redevelopment of strategic city properties.
The billionaire’s proposal, however, remains subject to Government evaluation. The President, after receiving the property mogul’s proposal, he directed Kampala Minister Minsa Kabanda to study it, consult KCCA, assess its feasibility and report back, with Museveni himself describing the proposed development as a modern, eco-friendly real estate complex comprising a hotel, shopping mall and other facilities, with solar energy forming part of the project.
The Government has stressed that the presidential directive to study the proposal does not amount to a decision to hand over the square to the developer. KCCA’s technical and political leadership is expected to have an opportunity to give its views before the ministerial review is completed.
Kabanda has nevertheless indicated that environmental protection will be central to the assessment, saying she would have no problem with the project if its plan demonstrates how the environment will be protected.
The architectural concept therefore seeks to place the commercial ambitions of the UGX400 billion proposal alongside public-use and environmental features, rather than presenting City Square simply as a shopping complex.
If approved, the project would alter the face of the city centre, introducing thousands of commercial spaces, a hotel, tourism facilities and public amenities while maintaining landscaped areas within the development. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
