Kampala's floods and failed governance

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OPINION

By Andrew Mafundo

Every time Kampala floods, we hear the same excuse that the rain was too heavy. But rain is not the problem. The primary causes of these floods are corruption, greed, poor planning, and inadequate environmental governance.

Last week's floods once again brought Kampala to its knees. Downtown streets were submerged, markets were destroyed, traffic was paralysed, and livelihoods were swept away. Traders, already burdened by high rent, heavy taxes, and poor infrastructure, watched helplessly as their goods and dreams floated down the streets. These floods are not acts of God; it is a manufactured tragedy and a result of selfish decisions by duty bearers that do not value public safety.

At the heart of this crisis is the Nakivubo Channel, the main drainage line that runs through all five divisions of the city and handles more than half of Kampala's stormwater. When Nakivubo is blocked, the entire city floods. Yet instead of protecting this vital drainage system, our leaders are backing plans to build over it.

A recent KCCA Council resolution encouraged the city to "move away from traditional open drainages" and adopt "modern covered and beautified" systems, in partnership with "credible local investors," due to declining donor and government funding. On paper, it sounded modern and progressive. In reality, it opened the door for businessman Hamis Kiggundu's controversial "redevelopment" project, which seeks to cover sections of Nakivubo for commercial use.

In early August 2025, President Museveni wrote to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, supporting this redevelopment, stating that it would modernise the city and reduce flooding. However, three weeks later, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) ordered Kiggundu to halt all works, citing a lack of approvals and an Environmental Impact Assessment clearance from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago met NEMA Executive Director Dr Barirega Akankwasa, who confirmed that Hamis Kiggundu’s project lacked environmental clearance and was under investigation. Dr Akankwasa also clarified that the President’s directive did not exempt the developer from following legal procedures.

This exchange exposed the deeper sickness in our governance system, where influential individuals use political connections to bypass institutions. When technical bodies must "clarify" presidential letters before enforcing the law, it shows how far corruption has eroded the rule of law. What message does that send to ordinary citizens who are struggling to follow the rules?

These floods were not a surprise. Environmentalists, planners, citizens and civil society voices have been warning for years that unregulated construction, wetland destruction, and corruption in planning approvals would lead to precisely this. Their warnings were dismissed as opposition talk by those benefiting from the mess. Now, their fears have come true and still no real action is being taken. The floods we see today are the price of silence, arrogance, and impunity. On what grounds did NEMA rely on to finally issue a certificate of approval for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment? Did they consult other key stakeholders?

But Kampala's story is only part of a bigger national disaster. The Lwera Wetland, once a natural sponge along the Kampala–Masaka highway, has been depleted by sand mining and large-scale rice farming, which is controlled by influential individuals masquerading as "investors." Lubigi, Kinawataka, and other wetlands and ecosystems face the same destruction.

Uganda loses an estimated $100 million every year to flood-related damage. Yet the institutions meant to prevent such losses remain underfunded, undermined, and often silent. Instead of enforcing the law, some officers bend it to please those in power. Instead of planning for resilience, they plan for profit.

Ugandans deserve accountability, and the government has a constitutional duty to protect citizens and their property. We cannot continue to respond to predictable disasters with press conferences, empty promises, and sympathy visits made after every disaster, only for everything to be forgotten within a few days, until the next disaster occurs. What is KCCA doing to manage floods in the long term? Where are the flood management plans that taxpayers have paid for? Where are the results of the disaster preparedness strategies that the Office of the Prime Minister and KCCA claim to have implemented?

Our leaders must stop pretending that urban development and environmental protection are enemies because the right to a clean and healthy environment is guaranteed under Uganda's Constitution. When that right is violated, so too are the rights to life, livelihood, and dignity.

Those who approve or defend reckless, illegal projects without proper assessments or stakeholder engagement should be held accountable for the damage they cause. Institutions like NEMA and KCCA require independence and protection from political pressure to enforce the law fairly and impartially.

Otherwise, Kampala's floods are not just about drainage or climate change; they are also a reflection of the city's inadequate infrastructure and neglect that corruption has brought to our systems, both physical and moral. It is not until we confront that corruption head-on that no amount of rain control or beautification will save this city from flooding us all.

The writer works with Citizens Concern Africa (CICOA)

info@citizensconcernafrica.org