When the rains came down last week, downtown Kampala once again turned into a river. Traders watched helplessly as water poured into their shops, destroying goods they had spent months saving for. From Kisekka to Nabugabo, many lost everything in minutes. The sight of drenched clothes, floating shoes, and broken electronics was heartbreaking.
It’s easy to understand the anger that followed. Many pointed fingers at businessman Hamis Kiggundu, whose massive Nakivubo redevelopment project is still underway. The thinking was simple — since the works are taking place around the channel, they must have caused the flooding. But a closer look tells a more complex story.
Long before Ham’s excavators arrived, Nakivubo Channel was already a disaster zone. Each rainy season, the same scenes would replay: garbage-choked drains, unplanned kiosks blocking water flow, and traders building right on top of old water paths. Kampala’s poor drainage system has been the city’s Achilles’ heel for decades. No single person — or project — created that problem.
Ham’s ongoing redevelopment aims to change exactly that. By reconstructing the Nakivubo corridor, covering sections of the open sewer, and creating modern business spaces, the project seeks to turn what has been a public health hazard into a clean, organized urban centre. Of course, such transformation never comes without growing pains. Roads get closed, water lines shift, and normal routines are disrupted. Unfortunately, the rains hit at a time when drainage works were still incomplete.
That doesn’t make the traders’ loss any less painful. They deserve compensation and clear communication from the developers and city authorities. But it’s also fair to note that the final product — once completed — promises a downtown that finally drains properly, looks cleaner, and gives traders safer and more organized working spaces. The Ham Shopping Grounds already show what structured business areas can look like when properly managed.
Kampala has lived with flooding for decades. If the Nakivubo works are completed to standard, this might finally be the beginning of the end of that misery. So yes — sympathize with the traders, demand better coordination — but let’s not dismiss development midstream. Sometimes progress looks messy before it starts to shine.
