By Aggrey Baba
President YK Museveni’s aide on Press and Mobilization Hajji Farouk Kirunda has urged Kampala Lord Mayor Ronald Nsubuga Balimwezo (NUP) to put aside public confrontation and sit with other KCCA leaders to carefully consider property mogul Hajji Hassan Bulwadda’s ambitious proposal to transform Kampala’s City Square into a modern, eco-friendly commercial development.
Kirunda made the remarks while responding to questions about the proposed redevelopment of the prime City Square land in a phone interview with Sanyuka TV’s Adam Kungu on Tuesday, saying that Balimwezo should not regard President Museveni’s decision to write directly to Kampala Minister Minsa Kabanda as an attempt to exclude him from the City Square process.
Instead, he urged Balimwezo to work with Minister Kabanda and KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki to examine the proposal and formulate a joint position that can be submitted to the President.
Kirunda said Balimwezo, as the political head of KCCA, has an important role to play in the process and should therefore engage his fellow city leaders instead of turning the matter into a public confrontation.
“I think the Lord Mayor is being unfair to say that the President did not copy him in the letter he sent to Hon. Minsa Kabanda. He is the political head of KCCA, and nothing can be decided without his knowledge. I request him to sit together with the KCCA Executive Director and the Minister for Kampala, agree on the way forward, and respond to the President as KCCA leaders,” Kirunda said.
The remarks come at a crucial stage for billionaire Hassan Bulwadda’s proposal, which has attracted national attention after Museveni directed Hon Minsa Kabanda to study the project, consult KCCA and report back to him.
The directive means the proposal remains under formal government consideration and has not been rejected.
Kirunda also clarified that Museveni has not yet handed City Square to the businessman. Rather, the President is waiting for advice from the relevant Kampala authorities before making a decision.
“If Museveni gives the City Square land out, it will definitely be a decision made by KCCA, because he is waiting for what KCCA and the Minister for Kampala will decide,” Kirunda explained.
Hajji Bulwadda’s proposal seeks to transform approximately two acres of City Square into a modern, eco-friendly commercial complex featuring a hotel, shopping mall and other facilities, with solar power and green technology incorporated into the development.
The proposed investment has been reported at about UGG 470 billion, making it a major private-sector development proposal for the heart of Kampala.
Hajji Bulwadda has presented the project as an opportunity to bring substantial private investment into the capital while introducing modern commercial facilities and environmentally friendly technology.
The proposal has nevertheless generated opposition from some city leaders, particularly Balimwezo, who has argued that City Square should remain an open public space because of its environmental, historical and public-use value.
But Kirunda’s intervention suggests that the debate should not be closed before the proposal has been fully examined by the authorities responsible for Kampala. His message also gives Balimwezo an opportunity to participate directly in the process that will ultimately shape the advice given to Museveni.
Rather than the President having already made a final decision, Kirunda says the next step is for KCCA and the Kampala ministry to consider the proposal and give their recommendations, while for the billionaire investor, this keeps the proposed investment firmly on the government’s agenda.
The developer’s proposal is therefore still alive, with the eventual decision expected to follow the review process initiated by the President. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
