By Angel Lubowa
KAMPALA
Politics a side those who have been around Kampala know where the city has come from.
The was a time when the actual Kampala was starting from Ben Kiwanuka Street then South Street up wards to across the old taxi park, Nakasero and upper Kampala.
Less of that was total dilapidated buildings, mad , tree shades and thieves den around Owino and Nakivubo war memorial stadium stretching to the old home of prostitution in Kisenyi.
Ever remember “Katuba “out side Owino and Nakivubo?
And when business man Hamis Kiggundu, commonly known as Ham came in to redevelop this dirty to what today stands out as Ham shopping grounds there was just too much noise.
But Ham being Ham Kiggundu , focused and serious about what he had in mind today the old rot is no more and now sits a wonderful shopping ground by African standards.
Sitting where once cheat, stealing and stinging dirty once lived. This development has resulted into more development in old Kisenyi where the actual city is now expanding.
From whole sale to retail this shopping center down town at Nakivubo is now the home of every thing from fashion, electronics and curios, jewelry, leather goods and audio visual equipment and many more of your preferred imagination and it beats class , taste and preference.
Despite this success, Ham Kiggundu’s plan to reclaim the Nakivubo Channel and reconstruct it into a tangible business blossom with water passing freely below is still meeting alot of opposition.
Such emanates from politicians, environmentalist , the poor and the envious.
But there people in Uganda and Kampala in particular who just want to do shopping in very good environment without getting bothered who owns the city.
When you go shopping in Nairobi, Dubai or London you don’t need knowing mall owners but goods and security.
Ham’s vision is to somehow put life and n that now w open dirt flowing waters giving the air a new life while
erecting structures atop Nakivubo channel.
Naturally if the authorities were to give such a project a go ahead environment assessments will have to be done and the aftermath would be nothing but an enhancement of the city’s infrastructure.
Years away the current running dirty water of the channel will be wonder shops just as his shopping ground took over the rotten environs of “Katuba”.
In any case earlier government and institutional development plans on the 9 kilometers Nakivubo channel which was first developed in the 1950s have not helped improve it’s face let alone stopping city flooding as was it’s intention on construction to safeguard Kampala’s residents from floods while protecting the precious waters of Lake Victoria.
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