Legislators on the Infrastructure Committee of Parliament have summoned Denis Omodi Alyela, the Nakawa Division Town Clerk, to answer queries concerning the ongoing illegal construction on top of a channel on plot 3A² and 3A³ Sports Lane, Lugogo. 

This follows investigations by the committee members who during a site visit on October 11, 2023, at Forest Mall, Lugogo, found that a city developer known as Stanslas Isiagi, the managing director of Old Stanley Hotel, is developing property over a water channel. 

Stanlas Isiagi a city developer appears before the Parliament committee on physical infrastructure. (Photo by Maria Wamala)

During a meeting with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) on Thursday, October 12, the committee led by Dan Kimosho (Kazo County, NRM), revealed that the ongoing development on a water channel is responsible for the flooding which was recently witnessed at Forest Mall in viral videos when shops flooded after a downpour. 

The Forest Mall area has been declared by the Parliament Criminal Investigation Department of Police as a crime scene for three days, so as they carry out further investigations on the development according to detective Charles Twine, the head of CID at Parliament. 

The MPs revealed that during their site visit, the State Minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, Kabuye Kyofatogabye, phoned Isiagi summoning him to the site but he declined saying that he would be arrested on appearance and instead promised to send people to demolish the construction. 

Still, during the meeting, the town clerk, when contacted, told Kyofatogabye in a phone call, that he had a running stomach and could not attend the meeting. 

A letter seen by MPs that was addressed to the developer, and written by Omodi, indicated that Isiagi had written to the town clerk on July 27, 2023, regarding the same subject, requesting permission to remodel the property that he had just acquired for commercial purposes. 

In response, the town clerk in a letter dated August 14, 2023, said the developer’s proposal was reviewed and found to meet the minimum requirements for remodelling the property and informed the developer that the clerk’s office has no objection to the proposed remodelling. 

This letter was copied to Dorothy Kisaka, the KCCA executive director, David Luyimbazi her deputy, the director of engineering and technical services, the acting director of physical planning, and the Nakawa Division mayor. 

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka and her Deputy Eng. David Luyimbazi appear before the Parliament committee on physical infrastructure at Parliament on October 12, 2023. (Photo by Maria Wamala)

However, Kisaka, together with Kyofatogabye denied having seen the letter. Kisaka said at KCCA, no one is allowed to authorise building in the wrong places. 

She questioned the authenticity of the letter and said the clerk who wrote the letter has to be present for it to be verified, further reasoning that she receives so many letters on a daily basis. 

Deputy Eng. David Luyimbazi and Akankwasa Justus, Director Engineering and Technical Services KCCA appear before the Parliament committee on physical infrastructure at Parliament on October 12, 2023. (PHOTO BY MARIA WAMALA)

David Luyimbazi, the deputy executive director at KCCA, said development and building permission is needed before doing any development and added that the chairperson of the building committee has the final say on such matters. 

Moses Charles Nambassi, the physical planner for Nakawa Division at KCCA, was accused of being in connivance with the developer and the town clerk as he later gave contradicting statements. The committee handed Nambassi to Parliament CID for further interrogation.  

However, the minister Kyofatogabye begged the MPs to excuse Nambassi for the day and appealed that he be questioned the next day as he had to prepare documents. 

When asked, the developer, Isiagi, said he had permission from the town clerk but later during the discussion, he asked Parliament to forgive him and allow him to be the one to demolish the site. 

He said he had requested permission from KCCA to remodel the channel as it was open and smelly. 

“I wanted to put a shade for children. I want Parliament to help me and guide me. Already, the columns are up. But the structure has not affected the channel. I did not do it in bad faith and I have already invested over sh2bn shillings and the channel designs were made in consultation with KCCA. I request for pardon,” he said. 

Kimosho said that KCCA did not do enforcement and that the enforcement team arrived after the MPs had been on the site. He questioned KCCA’s planning department and monitoring capacity asking why the construction could go on for three months in their neighbourhood without their notice. 

Moses Kabuusu (Kyamuswa County, FDC), said, “We are concerned that KCCA looks like it has no capacity to monitor the developments on going in the city. Why is the institution allowing such developments without documentation and in the wrong places?” 

According to the MPs, since their visit to the site on Wednesday, KCCA only pretended to demolish the site using pick axes and has not finished the demolition claiming the demolition equipment was in use at other sites.