By Our Reporter
Young Ugandan businessman Hajji Hassan Bulwadda, the tycoon behind a proposed Shs400 billion redevelopment of Kampala’s historic Constitution Square, has been okayed to take his ambitious investment vision deeper into the city’s disadvantaged communities with plans to transform Nakivubo Settlement Primary School into a modern technical skills centre.
The government-aided Universal Primary Education (UPE) school, which mainly serves children from the neighbouring Kisenyi and Katwe communities, has for years struggled with declining enrolment, dilapidated infrastructure and land-related disputes.
Sources familiar with the proposal say government has opted to work with Bulwadda after recognising that the once-busy school was gradually deteriorating, with enrolment now reportedly standing at only about 121 pupils, compared to the hundreds it previously accommodated.
The ageing school structures are expected to give way to modern facilities designed to accommodate a world-class technical and vocational skills centre, potentially giving young people from Kisenyi, Katwe and surrounding communities access to practical skills and better economic opportunities.
For Bulwadda, the project represents more than a real estate investment. It is part of what supporters describe as his broader vision of using his financial strength to contribute directly to the transformation of Uganda, beginning with Kampala capital city.
The scale of his proposed investments has positioned Bulwadda as one of the young Ugandan entrepreneurs seeking to put significant private capital into the country’s urban transformation.
At Nakivubo, however, his vision carries an even stronger social dimension. A modern technical skills centre could provide young people in one of Kampala’s most densely populated low-income areas with opportunities to acquire practical skills in trades and other sectors, helping them pursue employment or start their own businesses.
The proposed redevelopment also comes against the backdrop of a longstanding land controversy surrounding Nakivubo Settlement Primary School.
Previous reports have documented competing claims over the school’s land, including allegations of encroachment and disputed ownership. Authorities have maintained that the property is public land, while other parties have at various times claimed interests in sections of it.
Sources now say government is keen to resolve the ownership question before the proposed redevelopment proceeds, with investigations reportedly focusing on claims that some individuals may have acquired questionable or fraudulent land titles covering portions of the school property.
Bulwadda’s supporters describe him as a patriotic entrepreneur who wants his wealth to contribute to visible development, particularly in Kampala, where ageing infrastructure and unemployment continue to affect thousands of young people.
The proposed Nakivubo transformation could therefore become more than a redevelopment project.
It could turn a struggling public school site into a modern centre for skills, innovation and economic opportunity.
For children and young people from Kisenyi and Katwe, the difference between deteriorating classrooms and a modern training institution could be life-changing.
If implemented as envisioned, Bulwadda’s Nakivubo project would represent a remarkable transformation: from a struggling primary school serving a poor urban community to a modern skills centre designed to equip a new generation of Ugandans for the future.
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