By Charles Katabalwa,
KAMPALA
Prime Minister Robina Nabbanja has assured traders affected by the recent floods in Kampala that they will be compensated by the government.
Nabbanja made the remarks during an inspection tour of flood-hit areas along Ssebaana Kizito Road in downtown Kampala. She was accompanied by the Minister for Kampala, Minsa Kabanda, and the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director, Sharifah Buzeki.
The team inspected several affected buildings, including Ssekaziga Building, Totala Building, Pentagon Building, and Nana Shopping Centre, before the Prime Minister moved into the drainage channel to assess the cause of the flooding.
Traders in the area have decried the ongoing Nakivubo drainage reconstruction project, saying it has worsened flooding and led to massive losses of merchandise. Many said they had stocked heavily in preparation for the festive season but were now uncertain of their next move.
The Prime Minister’s inspection follows President Yoweri Museveni’s earlier directive that all traders whose goods were destroyed by the floods be compensated.
In her address, Nabbanja directed KCCA to work closely with businessman Hamis Kiggundu and the Ministry of Works and Transport to construct additional drainage channels that feed into the Nakivubo system. She also instructed that pavers along Ssebaana Kizito Road be removed to allow rainwater to flow freely into the drainage.
Meanwhile, Hamis Kiggundu urged KCCA to develop its own properly designed drainage channels, saying the existing system was poorly constructed and continues to cause flooding in traders’ shops.
