Reclaiming Kampala City’s future

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OPINION

By Antony Mukangura 

The current debate about the Nakivubo channel is good because it creates much-needed awareness among the general public about the importance of having a well-planned city with a bold vision for the 21st century. The Nakivubo channel discussion thus falls within this larger context about the future of the Kampala we all want to see. 

In order to level set this discussion of the Nakivubo channel, we need to first and foremost establish clarity of the vision of Kampala we want to build and leave for future generations. 

What is needed, therefore, is a rational and comprehensive discussion about orderly development and urban renewal. We can have both. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive or have to be the domain of any one individual or organisation. Kampala is the nation’s capital, and we all have a stakeholder role to ensure its prosperity and management.

The Nakivubo Channel is the primary natural drainage system of the city. It is a natural geological formation that channels the city's storm water into the Nakivubo swamp before discharging into Lake Victoria’s Murchison Bay. The Nakivubo channel is therefore the city’s critical passageway to drain the city. Its management and development must be to fulfil this core purpose. Just like a house has a roof and gutters, a modern city must have an effective storm drainage system. 

The ideas proposed and approach to redevelop the Nakivubo channel seem to have created more questions than answers, making its core function as a key drainage artery a secondary consideration in the public discussion. Given the Nakivubo channel’s critical drainage role, any idea to develop it must meet several criteria of review and analysis handled with full transparency in order to get full public support. 

The first is to determine how any proposed development ideas can withstand a 100-year flood occurrence. The 100-year flood is a commonly used benchmark in urban planning to measure the capacity to withstand catastrophic flooding in the event it occurs so that development and public safety is ensured. The idea to cover the Nakivubo channel at one of its lowest elevation points creates a dam-like effect and will worsen flooding, especially with the accumulation of silt and debris. 

Second, the lack of a clear legal framework for where city ownership of the channel starts and ends is problematic when private investment is allowed on public property. 

Third, it is understood that the motivation to cover the Nakivubo channel is intended to beautify the Nakivubo area, which is a noble idea. However, is covering the channel the only option to beautify the channel? A well-crowdsourced design competition can yield a variety of alternative design solutions.          

Fourth, it is unclear what amount of investment is needed to achieve a satisfactory outcome without carrying out due diligence of the proposed design by the regulatory authorities (KCCA, NEMA and Central Division). Projects of this magnitude require significant financial expenditures that can be best sourced by a public institution rather than a private sector company.

Fifth is it remains to be seen how the proposed idea would fundamentally be transformative and not just a patch job to cater to a limited cause. Kampala is in need of a comprehensive vision for the future rather than ad hoc development, which has limited the city’s potential to attract investment and create jobs. 

The way forward

To solve this impasse, the way forward should be to seek practical solutions that support a comprehensive new vision for Kampala’s drainage system, which is well integrated into an urban renewal plan. 

One way forward is to follow successful precedents of drainage systems of peer cities like Nairobi or more developed cities like Tokyo, New York, Singapore or Amsterdam. In these cities, they have deployed a range of upstream strategies, from water-retention basins, flood walls, and incorporated green infrastructure, such as green roofs and water-absorbing parks.

Another way forward is to widen and increase the depth of the Nakivubo channel significantly to absorb the higher volume of storm water with specialised engineering that is benchmarked on 100-year flood data. The Nairobi River is currently undergoing a similar expansion with a Kshs 50 billion (sh1.4 trillion) river regeneration and engineering works intended to restore the Nairobi River ecosystem while integrating housing projects, modern markets and enhanced sewer infrastructure. (60 kilometres of new sewer line).

Additionally, the Nakivubo Channel can be transformed into a river walk extending across the city, following examples like San Antonio or Chicago by rebuilding the Nakivubo channel as a major tourist attraction connected to reservoirs that can also be used for recreational activities. The expanded size of the Nakivubo channel would enable such activities as boating and other water activities on the channel rather than sealing it off. 

Any redevelopment of the Nakivubo channel should incorporate water cleaned up by installing water filtration systems and water monitoring plants along the channel’s 27-kilometre length. Cleaning the water of the Nakivubo channel would be transformational for the city, as it has been for Singapore.

It is imperative that the way forward also addresses the management of the Nakivubo channel, handled by a specialised team with a direct supervisory role under KCCA to ensure regular maintenance, improvements and cleanup.

To overcome the high redevelopment costs, it is necessary to phase the Nakivubo channel redevelopment into multiple phased stages. The goal should be to execute each stage to a very high standard, soliciting design ideas through competition and vetting all ideas to serve a bigger vision for Kampala city.

While today the debate is about the Nakivubo channel, what we need as a city is to restore public trust in how the city is governed and deliberate on a bold vision to make Kampala a global destination and hub for innovation. To do this, we need a reawakening to work together to build a 21st-century city to showcase outstanding Architecture and a bespoke urban experience. 

The author, Antony Mukangura, is a long-term resident of Kampala. He has 25 years practicing Architecture