IN a move which has pushed greening and beautification of Kampala two steps backwards, Kampala Capital City Authority officials are being accused of being behind the malicious destruction of palm trees worth millions of shillings donated recently by businessman Ham Kiggundu.
The donation announced in January this year by KCCA leadership at a ceremony launched in Makindye division, businessman Kiggundu said he had offered the city over 100,000 trees to boost greening and beautification of Kampala city initiative.
Whereas KCCA minister Minsa Kabanda and the executive director Dorothy Kisakka welcomed the donation, however, it seems, there were officials who were unhappy with the offer, as it antagonized their private interests.
Barely six months since trees were planted, KCCA is under spotlight as a number of trees have been uprooted under their watch, with fingers pointing to some of its staff.
In his X post, accompanied with videos, Mr Kiggundu wrote that he was not impressed with KCCA move. https://x.com/KiggunduHamis/status/1801643685529948629
“It’s really sad seeing these KCCA employees poisoning and destroying these palm trees…..where is the patriotism…..We spent a lot of money and time… buying, donating, planting and maintaining these royal palm trees across the entire city under their watch and supervision….with such impunitive acts unprosecuted we have a long way to develop as a country…” Kiggundu said on Friday.
Ham Foundation donation
Kiggundu has called for arrest of the officials involved in this scandal. When in January, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) received this green initiative boost, it is alleged some officials had started a procurement process of which they don’t want to miss on its tapping.
The event whose inauguration along Ggaba road in Makindye Division was attended by the Kampala Minister, Minsa Kabanda, and KCCA Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka among others, should at this stage be under review for its success and how much it has contributed to KCCA’s greening targets.
KCCA spends billions of shillings on greening and beautification of the city initiative. It means, Ham’s donation would save some millions of shillings from the city coffers, which is however, bad news to economic parasites at KCCA.
Kiggundu and other private entities would be happy supporting KCCA’s appeal to contribute to a more environmentally friendly urban landscape however, with staff playing in these ventures discourages people and companies who want to see their donations carrying value for money, and their legacy protected by the city for generations.
Speaking then, the KCCA Executive Director expressed gratitude for Kiggundu’s significant contribution towards the greening initiative of the capital city and called upon other individuals and businesses to follow suit.
All eyes are on KCCA bosses to see how they will handle allegations that trees donated ahead of NAM summit antagonized a deal in KCCA where some officials preferred to procure trees than receive donations. The said officials are said to be sponsoring disgruntled street sweepers to spray these trees with poisonous liquids and later uproot these trees as seen in the videos circulating online.
“This should be condemned and very unacceptable!” said Luswata Ahmed, commenting on the development.
In January 3, 2024, KCCA website published on its website telling the world that Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) had received a substantial boost in its green initiatives as prominent businessman, Hamis Kigundu, demonstrated his commitment by donating an impressive 100,000 royal palm trees to the cause.
The article said the initiative was designed to enhance the appeal of the city and contribute to a more environmentally friendly urban landscape and was officially inaugurated with a tree-planting ceremony along Ggaba road in Makindye Division.
Hajat Minsa Minsa Kabanda, the Minister of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, commended Kiggundu’s support for the greening campaign.
KCCA Minister Kabanda further encouraged the public to embrace and endorse such endeavors, emphasizing the positive impact they have on the overall development of the city.
Dorothy Kisaka, the Executive Director of KCCA, expressed gratitude for Kiggundu’s significant donation and called upon other individuals and businesses to follow his example. Emphasizing the collective responsibility of the city’s residents in supporting development initiatives, Kisaka urged all city dwellers to actively participate in the tree-planting initiative to create a greener and more beautiful urban environment.
Speaking at the tree handover ceremony, Kiggundu stated, “This is our city, this is our country; we have to support its development and beautify our surroundings.” He labeled his contribution as a form of social responsibility and urged fellow business leaders to join in the effort.
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