Kampala traders under the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) have written to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) seeking urgent intervention to address flooding that has caused massive destruction of goods and property damage in the city.
The floods, which occur during rainy seasons, have resulted in heavy financial losses amounting to billions of shillings, with traders fearing for their lives.
KACITA Chief Executive Officer Abel Mwesigye said the association wants KCCA to halt all ongoing construction and renovation works by Ham Constructions on the Nakivubo Drainage Channel pending proper assessment.
“We had to summon and petition KCCA and copy in many other relevant authorities in order to at least have this water drained or pumped out of these arcades and to have a joint assessment to establish what the problem could be,” Mwesigye said.
The traders are also seeking compensation for the losses they have incurred due to the flooding.
Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has called for a crisis meeting on Monday to resolve the issue, inviting key stakeholders, including the Minister for Kampala and KCCA officials.
Lukwago has previously accused Parliament and NEMA of negligence and conspiracy in allowing businessman Hamis Kiggundu to carry out illegal construction on the Nakivubo channel.
The issue has also attracted the attention of parliamentary aspirant Suzan Kushaba, who petitioned the World Bank over alleged illegal approval of commercial developments along the Nakivubo channel, warning of environmental damage and disruption to livelihoods in the city’s central business district.