Cabinet has rejected businessman Hassan Bulwadda’s proposal to develop City Square, formerly known as Constitutional Square, in Kampala into a modern commercial and business complex.
On August 18, 2026, Bulwadda wrote to President Yoweri Museveni seeking permission to construct a solar-powered, eco-friendly complex on the 1.172-hectare site, comprising plots 5, 6 and 7.
ICT and National Guidance Minister Justine Kasule Lumumba announced the decision at a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Tuesday, October 27, while communicating resolutions reached by Cabinet during a meeting chaired by President Museveni on Monday.
Lumumba said that in August, Museveni had directed the Minister for Kampala Affairs, Minsa Kabanda, to study Bulwadda’s proposal, consult the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and report back to him.
The directive was contained in a letter dated August 30, which the President addressed to Kabanda and copied to Vice President Jessica Alupo and Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja.
Explaining the decision, Lumumba said City Square is a protected heritage site that houses the 1945 War Memorial, which commemorates Ugandan soldiers who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars.
Under his proposal, Bulwadda had sought to construct a 13-storey shopping mall featuring 2,500 shops and a hotel.
The proposed complex would also include free Wi-Fi, water fountains, a green rooftop and free luxury toilets. Bulwadda further pledged to maintain the road separating the two plots, which he said covered a combined area of 2.9 acres.
