Flood Chaos at Fairway Hotel Sparks Fresh Outrage Over Kampala’s Failing Drainage System
By Watchdog Uganda Reporter
Kampala – May 8, 2026
Thursday afternoon’s heavy downpour once again exposed Kampala’s deepening drainage crisis after floodwaters invaded the popular Fairway Hotel in Nakasero, forcing frightened guests to flee their rooms and leaving behind massive destruction estimated in the hundreds of millions of shillings.
Dramatic videos and eyewitness accounts shared widely on social media showed hotel guests and staff wading through fast-rising muddy water while carrying luggage and personal belongings to safety. Within minutes, the hotel’s garden courtyard, restaurants, conference spaces, and lower floors had been submerged as stormwater flowing from the surrounding Nakasero hills overwhelmed the area.
Furniture, electronics, carpets, and perishable goods were destroyed as floodwaters swept through sections of the upscale hotel, one of Kampala’s long-standing hospitality landmarks.
Hotel officials blamed the disaster on blocked drainage channels and nearby construction activities, accusing authorities of failing to properly manage the city’s drainage infrastructure.
“This was not just rain — this was negligence,” a senior hotel staff member told Watchdog Uganda on condition of anonymity. “The drainage channel along Mackinnon Road was blocked by ongoing construction works. The water had nowhere else to go except directly into our compound.”
Residents and business owners in Nakasero have also pointed fingers at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and ongoing developments near the Speaker’s residence and other high-profile construction sites in the area.
Critics allege that excavation works, poor waste disposal, and the blocking of natural drainage outlets have turned parts of Nakasero into flood-prone danger zones whenever heavy rains hit Kampala.
“This disaster was avoidable,” one resident said while surveying the damage. “You cannot block water channels in a hilly area like Nakasero and expect the city to survive heavy rains.”
The Fairway Hotel flooding is the latest in a series of recurring urban flood disasters that have continued to expose Kampala’s fragile and poorly maintained drainage network. Areas such as Qualicel Bus Terminal, Clock Tower, Pioneer Mall, and several city business arcades have repeatedly experienced severe flooding despite years of promises and multimillion-shilling drainage projects under successive KCCA administrations.
The latest incident has reignited public anger, with opposition leaders and civil society activists demanding accountability from city authorities.
“KCCA must explain why construction projects are allowed to interfere with major drainage systems without proper mitigation measures,” another resident told Watchdog Uganda. “Lives, businesses, and investments are being destroyed while officials continue issuing statements instead of solutions.”
By Friday morning, most of the floodwaters had receded, but cleanup operations were still ongoing at Fairway Hotel and neighbouring businesses. Although no fatalities were reported, the financial and emotional impact on affected guests, workers, and entrepreneurs remains significant.
The incident has also renewed broader questions about Kampala’s urban planning, enforcement of construction standards, and preparedness for increasingly intense rainfall linked to changing weather patterns.
As residents count their losses, many Kampala city dwellers say the flooding at Fairway Hotel should serve as another wake-up call for authorities to urgently fix the capital’s collapsing drainage system before an even bigger disaster strikes.
Watchdog Uganda will continue following the story and calls for an independent investigation into whether ongoing construction activities contributed to worsening the flooding in Nakasero.
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