Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki has clarified that no decision has been made to hand over Kampala’s Constitution Square, commonly known as City Square, to a private developer.
Buzeki said President Yoweri Museveni only directed the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Minsa Kabanda, to study a proposal to redevelop part of the public space, consult KCCA and report back.
Her remarks come amid growing public debate over a proposal by businessman Hajj Hassan Bulwadda to transform about two acres of City Square into a modern, eco-friendly commercial complex.
Speaking during a meeting with representatives of Kampala traders, Buzeki said reports suggesting that the President had already given away the land were inaccurate.
“There is nowhere where the President gives away the land.”
According to Buzeki, the proposal is still at the evaluation stage. Kabanda has constituted a committee to examine the plans, after which KCCA’s technical and political leadership is expected to give its views before the minister reports back to the President.
Bulwadda submitted his proposal to Museveni on August 18, 2026, seeking to develop two acres of the square into a mixed-use real estate complex.
The proposed project would include a hotel, shopping mall and other commercial facilities, with solar power and other environmentally friendly features incorporated into the development. Museveni’s August 30 letter instructed Kabanda to study the proposal in consultation with KCCA and return with a report.
The directive has since generated debate over the future of one of Kampala’s best-known public open spaces.
Kampala Lord Mayor Ronald Balimwezo has taken a different position, arguing that Constitution Square should remain an open public space rather than being converted into commercial property.
In a September 12 letter to Attorney General Sam Mayanja, Balimwezo cited the square’s historical, environmental and civic importance and asked government to oppose the proposed redevelopment.
Balimwezo has also referred to a 2007 protection order concerning the square, arguing that its status should be preserved.
He says the open space provides environmental benefits in the increasingly built-up city centre and can also serve as an emergency assembly point during fires and other disasters.
“City Square must be left open,” Balimwezo said, arguing that the space should not be converted into commercial development.
The dispute has therefore shifted from claims that City Square has already been given away to a broader debate over whether the proposed development should proceed.
KCCA says it has not yet received the proposal for its formal consideration, while the ministerial committee is still examining the plans. The President’s directive, as currently documented, calls for the proposal to be studied and discussed with KCCA before a report is submitted.
For now, the future of the two-acre portion of Constitution Square remains under consideration, with the proposed commercial development facing opposition from the Kampala Lord Mayor and others who want the space retained as a public green and civic area.
