By Stephen Akabway Jr
Hassan Basajjalaba, Sudhir Ruparelia, Godfrey Kirumira, Habib Kagimu and so on, all enjoyed their time in the sun during which period each was simply put trending and trending.
Believably, Hamis Kiggundu popularly known as Ham, looks to be the most booming, most trending and most powerful businessman of the moment.
Ham’s current trending situation can be traced to his close association with Uganda’s Head of State, Gen Yoweri Museveni, to the Hamz national stadium, to a revamped multi-billion shillings downtown Nakivubo business hub and the pending revamping of the Nakivubo channel drainage system.
A lawyer by training and a private businessman as well as a property developer by practice, Ham personally bankrolled the construction of a standard Hamz Nakivubo stadium following decades of gross negligent and failure by the central government mandated to conduct that function.
Compellingly, Ham’s and Gen Museveni’s close ties, a fresh and standard stadium, a freshly unleashed downtown Nakivubo business hub plus the pending revamping of Nakivubo channel drainage system conspired and soared Ham’s current public rating.
Initially, a group of pessimists led by Kampala Lord Mayor, Ssaalongo Erias Lukwago tried and tested Ham’s resilience, grit and financial capacity required to deliver a standard national stadium.
But the Masaka-born private property developer weathered all the defiance put up by Lukwago’s group, delivering a national stadium and a revamped downtown Nakivubo business center.
Following the accomplishment of Hamz Nakivubo stadium, Ham glowingly appreciated the Big Man for giving him a chance to showcase his capacity and the Big Man turned the favor by declaring that if Uganda had more patriotic people like Ham the country would have earned a lot of developments.
Presumably, with the exception of Sudhir who previously bankrolled the construction of Mbuya Barracks in exchange for land formerly owned by CMI and located at Mulago, very few private business people are known to had previously spent their personal funds and constructed national properties for government.
Consequently, Ham’s accomplished and pending national projects beg the question: What exactly is Ham’s net worth that renders him capable of spending thousands billions of personal funds and deliver critical national projects?
Admittedly, there is no very straight answers to the above-mentioned question which I have, interestingly, personally posed.
Be that as it may, we shall use some live examples on top of listing some of the properties owned by Ham in an attempt to reflect his net worth.
Ham was said to had personally spent close to Shs800Bn on the way to unleashing a standard national stadium. The funds mentioned were by no any measure a drop in the ocean and therefore was massive.
Amazingly, the same period during which Ham expensively bankrolled the construction of Hamz Nakivubo stadium, was also the same time that the same and one Ham simultaneously paid for the construction of his multi-billion shillings downtown Nakivubo business hub.
This implies, what Ham ultimately spent on the two above-mentioned projects was simply massive.
Reflect. Government, Bank of Uganda and the Catholic Church are some of the very few clients within Uganda that can afford Roko Construction’s expensive services.
Despite being a private businessman, Ham hired Roko Construction company who conducted the works at both Hamz stadium and at his massive business hub located at downtown Nakivubo.
Additionally, after building the stadium, the same and one Ham again personally spent thousands of millions of his personal funds, importing an assortment of up-to-date sports equipments, fitting them into the said stadium.
During the official opening event of the stadium presided over by President Yoweri Museveni, the private businessman was said to had spent Ushs2Bn of his personal funds to organize the same.
Barely a year later, Ham is again set to unleash more than Ushs180Bn and potentially deliver to the country a revamped Nakivubo channel drainage system whose pending works both the central government and Kampala Capital City Authority cannot afford to pay for despite being their personal mandate.
Not only Ham was armed with funds required to revamp the public drainage system and was just stopped to do so by Kampala Capital City Authority, but was in a better financial position to simultaneously accomplish both the drainage works and his next massive business hub atop the said drainage system itself.
Bar a land ownership challenge posed by Kabaka’s administration at Mengo, Ham was set to simultaneously construct Hamz stadium, his massive business hub at downtown Nakivubo plus another multi-billion stadium over a chunk of contested land located in Kigo off the shores of Lake Victoria.
Judging from the architectural plans for the missed Kigo stadium, the funds which were supposed to be spent was much more higher than the Ushs800Bn Ham spent on the construction of Hamz stadium.
Recently, the street carnivore which had for years been lying in abeyance due to lack of funds required to organize the social function, was resurrected and Ham alone personally contributed Ushs200m towards organization of the event witnessed by his friend, President Museveni.
During the lockdown president Museveni declared to deter the spread of COVID-19 epidemic, Ham alone personally donated Ushs500m to government, facilitating buying of foodstuffs by the Prime Minister’s office, donating the same to vulnerable Ugandans, who were unable to feed themselves.
Amazingly, Ham emerged from a meeting with Rt Hon Nabbanja and called out bystanders and bypassers to whom he donated more money to go and buy kawunga and beans for their survival.
Earlier before, President Yoweri Museveni summoned a group of wealthy people to State House in Entebbe to fundraise for the construction of the headquarters of his NRM party and Ham personally made a down payment of Ushs300m towards the cause.
Following the dismissal of his appeal by the supreme court led by Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo in a case filed against Diamond Trust Bank, Ham swiftly organized himself, paying off more than Ushs500Bn owed to the Aga Khan family owned financial institution represented by the First son-in-law, Counsel Edwin Karugire.
Before into a settlement of the case, Ham had earlier pledged to use his personal funds and start a bank and potentially rescue Ugandans from the predatory financial institutions.
The trending business personality sleeps like an oil baron. His massive residence believed to be worth USD5m, lies close to the shores of Lake Victoria and comes complete with a helicopter pad and other state-of-the-art amenities.
He is the owner of a multi-billion commercial plaza located opposite the main gate of Makerere University at Wandegeya on top of being the proprietor of the freshly unleashed multi-billion shillings downtown Nakivubo business empire.
The same businessman is also the proprietor of Hanna Secondary School and other several dozens of residential houses located at Bwebajja along Entebbe-Kampala road that come fitted with the state-of-the-art amenities for the enjoyment of his potential tenants.
Finally but not all, Ham owns a clothing label, manufactures mineral water, owns a bakery and has several other businesses spread over his commercial plazas and others located on various commercial plazas owned by other business people.
With that said, each and every reader can try and figure out for himself or herself Ham’s financial net worth. But one thing is certain, Ham is wealthy already and counting. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com). 
