By KT Reporter
The state minister for Kampala Kabuye Kyofa Togabye has vowed to fight with all his energy to make sure the president’s move to support and allow Kampala property mogul Hassan Bulwadda to develop and transform city square fails.
In a CBS radio interview, Kyofa said Bulwadda should go and build his eco-friendly commercial shopping mall elsewhere and leave city square alone. Kyofa said he was ready to face all the consequences from the president and that his views are not going to ever change.
Kyofa says city square is a gazetted monument for Uganda and that can’t change whether his boss Museveni likes it or not. It’s not clear why Kyofa is not scared of facing the wrath of the president at the time he is facing a serious election in Nakaseke.
Some people think Kyofa is against the redevelopment plan because it’s being spearheaded by his boss Minsa Kabanda yet they don’t see eye to eye on many things.
The same CBS radio also interviewed Bulwadda who described Kyofa as an envious man. He called on both Kyofa and lord mayor Balimwezo to support development as opposed to being saboteurs of the same. He said that true leaders welcome development in their cities, as opposed to fighting it.
He said the president’s letter was written to Minsa Kabanda and not Kyofa wondering the capacity in which the junior minister was pronouncing himself on something which doesn’t concern him.
Bulwadda arrayed environmental fears by making it clear that the city square’s greenery would be preserved and even enhanced through the planning of more trees he is planning. He also explained on Kabaka’s radio that he will be preserving the city square monument also.
He intends to invest up to $125m which comes to like 380bn in Ugandan money to put up hotel and other recreation and sanitation facilities for the enjoyment of the Kampala people. Besides enhancing the greening of the square, Bulwadda intends to establish lounging facilities where the ordinary Kampalans can relax from while enjoying free Wifi-internet.
He told CBS that he has no problem with the ordinary Kampalans giving their views on the issue but in the end, they will all benefit and become more proud of their capital city. He said the alleged gazzeting of the place for a monument can be altered by cabinet since the redevelopment he is proposing is for the good of Kampala city and its people-and there is nothing government can’t do or alter except turning man into a woman.
He called on the people of Kampala to view the proposed redevelopment to any day the government can wake up and decide to have a major road or any other public infrastructure project put in place while utilizing some of the city square land. He also clarified on Kyofa’s claim that he one time tried to be allocated the Ddundu land after the landfill establishment plans had been abandoned by KCCA.
Bulwadda said his proposal was to be permitted to erect low cost housing on the land but the move was frustrated when the leaders of Kampala and KCCA leaders objected and he abandoned the plan. He said there was nothing wrong with a Ugandan native businessman desiring to put up low-cost housing for his fellow Kampalans.
He said like was the case with Ddundu, he isn’t asking for free money from government because he has his own resources to use to redevelop the city square. He declined to go into details on Basajjabalaba’s claim of city square.
He said all he knows is that he once had a 5 year-lease for city square which aborted after the KIU tycoon failed to live up to the set conditions and terms. He said the details of what exactly happened must be elaborated by Basajjabalaba and the relevant government agencies.
Bulwadda denied being a front of anyone and explained that his wealth, which led him to the billionaire status he currently enjoys, resulted from hard work and resilience. He said he is a young man who started working and having big dreams from when he was aged 16 years. And that all he has resulted from hard work as opposed to being given free things.
“I’m my own man. I’m self-made and those attacking me are wasting their time because nze ndi gummite and I believe no one will succeed stopping what God has destined for me. If Allah willed that I’m the investor who will redevelop and transform city square, there is no way any man is going to ever succeed stopping that,” he said in his Friday interview on Kabaka’s CBS. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com.
