The Head of the State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU), Col. Edith Nakalema, on Tuesday 1st July 2025 hosted officials from Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to provide regulatory solutions to a delegation of Eritrean investors.
KCCA was represented by Mr. Vincent Byendaimira, the director of Physical Planning and Mr. Bernard Tukwasibwe, a physical planner at the authority.
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During a meeting held at SHIPU offices in Kampala, Col. Nakalema assured the delegation of the Eritrean investors led by Mr. Samuel Tsegoi, the Managing Director of Concord Apartments, that President Yoweri Museveni “is always directing to ensure that we are supporting the investors and that their investments are well protected.”
This was a follow-up dialogue meeting following an engagement held on 18th June 2025 where Col. Nakalema assured the investors of Uganda’s commitment to ensure that their businesses thrive in Uganda.
“The last meeting we had, the investors were many, we had those in manufacturing and micro processing and other sectors,” she stated.
Among the concerns raised by the Eritreans was approval for the buildings under construction.
Mr. Tsegoi noted that they face a lot of challenges but the biggest one is approval.
“The biggest challenge we have is approval; they keep saying it is delayed from KCCA, and being a government office, we have to wait, but that causes delays in the project,” Mr. Tsegoi lamented.
He said some of these delays can go up to two years.
In his response to these concerns, Mr. Byendaimira told the Eritrean investors that the approval process is two-tiered.
“You begin with the development process after it allows you to apply for a building permit,” he explained.
He said he joined KCCA last year, but during his tenure, the authority has managed to reduce the permit processing period to less than four weeks.
During the two-hour meeting, the KCCA officials also explained the benefits of using a newly introduced electronic system known as the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS) that the Authority developed to catalyse the processes and reduce bureaucracy.
Mr. Byendaimira recommended that the investors utilise and embrace this digital option, which was developed by the authority’s ICT team.
Col. Nakalema also weighed in, saying all systems that support investors should be interconnected to that portal.
Mr. Byendaimira also advised the investors to always assert their rights if things are not moving according to their desired speed.
“At times, the delays could be caused by someone who is on leave,” he clarified. He, however, cautioned the investors against paying service providers until the building plans are fully approved.
The KCCA director believes the service providers usually lose morale after being paid upfront, since they will have no motivation to follow up.
Mr. Byendaimira also addressed the concerns raised by Mr. Tsegoi about height limits for high-rise buildings under construction. He advised them to first check before they buy the plots because many plots in Kololo have so many foreign missions (embassies) located there which can also affect the height of a building due to privacy and security reasons.
“Plots in Kololo close to the summit cannot have structures go so high compared to the lower part of Kololo,” he explained.
He noted that since KCCA does not have gazetted regulations, they risk losing court cases if they are sued for approving the construction of a very tall building within the vicinity of these embassies, which are spread out within Kololo, an affluent neighbourhood.
Mr. Byendaimira further addressed the issue of an Orthodox church that the Eritreans congregate at in Makindye, after it was brought to his attention that there was an issue with the drainage of the road, which requires a bridge to be constructed to avert clashes with the local host community. The KCCA boss pledged to assess the situation during the course of this week.
He, however, cautioned the investors against fraudsters who pose as KCCA officials and guided them to report any such cases to him directly to handle them expeditiously.
Col. Nakalema commended the investors for their collaboration, which she says has catalysed development. She however noted that during such election seasons, there are some negative elements who intentionally frustrate the government’s efforts by politicking to derail national development.
