How KCCA councillors paved way for Ham to take over Nakivubo channel.

When Kampala woke up to the scenes of a cordoned-off Nakivubo channel by businessman Hamis Kiggundu, lord mayor Erias Lukwago was quick to appropriate blame.

He said the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) councillors at the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) were partly responsible for this. Lukwago revealed that the KCCA councillors, the majority of whom belong to NUP, had accepted bribes to pass a resolution allowing Kiggundu, popularly known as Ham, to build over the Nakivubo channel.

Lukwago had also written to the secretary general of NUP, David Lewis Rubongoya, asking him to take action. Rubongoya had not yet responded to Lukwago's letter. A day after Ham had cordoned off Nakivubo channel with iron sheets, a letter from President Museveni allowing Ham to take over the channel surfaced on social media and somehow deflected attention away from the NUP councillors.

The spokesperson of NUP, who doubles as the leader of the opposition in parliament (LoP), Joel Ssenyonyi, in an interview, challenged Lukwago to present any evidence to support his allegations against councillors.

"I read the resolution; it was a generic resolution, not specific [to] Nakivubo. But we intend to meet with our councillors who passed it to give us a deeper insight into it.  But more critically, it's not a council resolution that gives them authority to develop. The real authority that gave Ham that place was Museveni; everyone saw that letter. But if Lukwago said there was any corruption, then he should bring evidence, and we shall deal with this issue. But also away from politics, this is a criminal matter; if anybody has evidence about corruption, then he should take the matter to court," Ssenyonyi said.

NUP councillors, including KCCA speaker Zahra Luyurika (NUP, Makindye), also denied ever passing a resolution allowing Ham to take over the Nakivubo channel. In fact, one councillor from Lubuga Division, Faridah Nakabugo (NUP), offered to resign if there is any resolution that mentions Nakivubo channel.