By Aggrey Baba
Already troubled by a legal battle threatening his Nakaseke Central MP seat, State Minister for Kampala Metropolitan Affairs Joseph Kabuye Kyofa Togabye is facing another difficult moment after refusing openly support and promote the proposed redevelopment of Kampala’s historic City Square, a project being pushed by young billionaire Hajj Hassan Bulwadda and which President YK Museveni has already directed government to study.
According to CBS radio reporting, Kyofa Togabye has publicly made it clear that he has reservations not to support the proposal to give part of City Square to Bulwadda for a modern, eco-friendly commercial development. His position is now risking putting him on a collision course with government officials who have been tasked by President Museveni to examine the proposal and report back to him.
According to CBS FM reporting this week, Kyofa Togabye was among the few government officials who have taken a hostile position against the City Square redevelopment proposal, despite the project having received the President’s attention and direction.
CBS radio has in recent days been giving considerable coverage to the public debate surrounding the proposed transformation of City Square, with the Buganda Kingdom mouthpiece publicizing Kyofa Togabye’s lukewarm attitude towards the redevelopment while also giving the proposed developer, Hajj Hassan Bulwadda, and other Kampala property moguls an opportunity to respond.
The businessmen rallied behind their colleague Bulwadda and thanked President Museveni for giving him an opportunity to come up with a modern development for City Square, while taking care of the environmental concerns, including preserving the greenery around the monumental public space.
The $125m (roughly Shs400bn) project, according to the proposal before government, would transform about two acres of City Square into a modern eco-friendly real estate complex comprising a hotel, shopping mall, public recreational facilities and other commercial facilities, with the developer proposing the use of green technology and solar power.
It is against this background that the businessmen advised Kyofa Togabye to concentrate on his own struggling Nakaseke political career and leave Kampala’s transformation agenda to the wealthy property tycoons who have the experience and resources to undertake such projects.
Kyofa Togabye’s City Square troubles come at a time when he is already fighting for his political survival in court, with his parliamentary seat facing a serious legal challenge before the High Court in Luweero.
The Minister defeated NUP’s Allan Mayanja Sebunya in the recent elections, but Mayanja went to court challenging the victory and asking for the results to be overturned. The case is based on allegations of irregularities and discrepancies in results from a number of polling stations.
Although the officially declared figures have differed at different stages of the electoral process, the gazetted results gave Kyofa Togabye 13,742 votes against Mayanja’s 8,298 votes. Mayanja has maintained that the figures were manipulated in Kyofa Togabye’s favour.
The case has recently taken another difficult turn for the Minister after court allowed Mayanja to introduce fresh evidence from a handwriting expert over similarities in several declaration of results forms. The hearing has been fixed for October 12 to 16.
This means that as Kyofa Togabye fights to keep his parliamentary seat, he is also finding himself increasingly isolated from some of the powerful interests supporting the City Square redevelopment. In a CBS radio interview, Bulwadda made it clear that Kyofa Togabye’s lack of support for redevelopment doesn’t change anything and that the Minister is entitled to his views.
Should his election victory eventually be overturned, Kyofa Togabye could be heading back to the village to dig, especially given the changing political mood in Nakaseke and the strong opposition presence in the area. Nakaseke Central had been represented by NUP’s Mayanja, who won the seat in 2021, before Kyofa Togabye came to the constituency to the NRM in the 2026 elections. The constituency has therefore remained a politically contested area rather than a safe seat for either side.
Meanwhile, inside government, the City Square project appears to have gathered momentum, with Kampala Minister Minsa Kabanda leading the official review after receiving President Museveni’s directive.
Kabanda has since constituted a committee bringing together officials from key government institutions, including the ministries responsible for lands, the Presidency and tourism, the Attorney General and representatives from the National Planning Authority ((NPA).
The committee is expected to complete its assessment and prepare a report for Museveni, who will then make the final decision on Bulwadda’s proposal.
The President’s August 30 directive specifically asked Kabanda to study Bulwadda’s proposal, consult KCCA and return with a report on its feasibility. This leaves Kyofa Togabye, who is known to have frosty relations with his senior Minsa Kabanda, in a rather awkward position because while he isn’t prepared to be among those voting to give away the City Square, the matter is now being handled at the highest level of government through a process personally initiated by President Museveni himself. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
