Cabinet has rejected a proposal to turn Kampala’s City Square into a commercial complex featuring a hotel and shopping mall, insisting that the site must remain a protected heritage area.
Minister for ICT and National Guidance Justine Kasule Lumumba announced the decision on Tuesday, 27 October, at the Uganda Media Centre, saying the government had considered the site’s historical importance, legal protections and environmental and urban planning concerns.
She said the decision effectively ends the redevelopment proposal in its current form and preserves the square’s existing legal status.
“Cabinet has decided to reverse the proposal for the development of City Square, formally known as Constitution Square, and retain the site’s existing legal status,” Kasule Lumumba said.
The minister explained that Constitution Square has been protected since 2007 and is recognised under the Museums and Monuments Act, 2023, as well as a heritage protection instrument issued in 2024.
The approximately 1.172-hectare site comprises plots 5, 6 and 7 in central Kampala. It also houses the 1945 War Memorial, which commemorates Ugandan soldiers who died during the First and Second World Wars.
Kasule Lumumba said the memorial and the surrounding square form part of Uganda’s national history, making their preservation a key consideration in decisions about the site’s future.
“The Square and its memorial are part of our national history. Decisions about the site must respect that history and its protected status,” she said.
The decision reverses a process initiated by President Yoweri Museveni, who had asked Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs Minsa Kabanda to examine a proposal by businessman Hassan Bulwadda to redevelop the site.
In a directive dated 30 August 2026, Museveni referred to a proposal Bulwadda had submitted on 18 August seeking permission to transform the approximately two-acre site into an environmentally friendly commercial complex.
The proposed development would have included a hotel, shopping mall and other facilities, with solar energy intended to power the complex.
Museveni directed Kabanda to study the proposal, consult the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and report back to him before any further decisions were made.
However, Cabinet has now ruled against the proposed redevelopment, citing the site’s protected status and historical significance.
Kasule Lumumba urged the public to understand that the government had settled the matter, reiterating that Constitution Square would retain its existing legal protections rather than be transformed under the proposed commercial development plan.
