Kampala Tower, sometimes referred to as the East African Trade Centre, is a proposed building in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

and the largest city in that country.

Location

The

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

will be located along Kira Road, in the Kampala neighborhood known as

Kamwookya Kamwookya, sometimes spelled as Kamwokya, is a location within the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest metropolitan area. Location Kamwookya is bordered by Kyebando to the north, Bukoto to the northeast, Naguru to the east, Kololo to ...

, approximately , by road, northeast of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

of Kampala (pop.1,720,000). The coordinates of Kampala Tower are:0° 20' 6.00"N, 32° 34' 57.00"E (Latitude:0.3350; Longitude:32.5825).

Overview

Kampala Tower will sit on a site that currently houses the ''Uganda National Museum'' and the headquarters of

Uganda Wildlife Authority The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is a semi-autonomous Ugandan government agency that aims to conserve, manage and regulate Uganda’s wildlife. "UWA is mandated to ensure sustainable management of wildlife resources and supervise wildlife act ...

, both of which will be relocated. Other nearby structures, including ''Kitante Primary School'', may have to temporarily relocate while construction is going on. The tower will serve as the headquarters of the Ugandan Ministry of Tourism, Trade & Industry. In addition, the building will provide upscale rentable office and retail space in this rapidly-expanding neighborhood of Uganda's capital city. When completed, in 2020 as expected, the tower will become the tallest building on the

African continent Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, surpassing the

Carlton Centre The Carlton Centre is a 50-storey skyscraper and shopping centre located on Commissioner Street in central Johannesburg, South Africa. At , it is the third tallest building in Africa after The Leonardo, also in Johannesburg, and the Iconic T ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, which, at , is the reigning height leader. Kampala Tower will contain over , of office and retail space, enough to accommodate up to 12,500 people.

History

The lead planning institution is the development of this project is th
Uganda Ministry of Tourism, Trade & Industry
Working with those original concepts, the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

-based architectural fir
Capita Symonds
assisted by the Ugandan firm Plan Systems Limited, drew several architectural designs for the Ugandan government to select from. In 2010, the architects presented their final drawings to the

Ugandan Government Uganda is a presidential republic in which the President of Uganda is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government business. There is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is ...

for final approval.

Construction costs

, the estimated construction costs were US$750 million (UGX:1.83 trillion). This estimate is likely to go up, due to increased costs of building materials since that time. Government is currently sourcing for a private investor, who will fund the construction, own and operate the building for 30 years following commissioning. It is anticipated that by that time, the investor would have recouped his/her investment with reasonable profit. The building would revert to the Ugandan government following the thirty-year period. Construction was originally planned to start in 2011 and last 6 to 8 years. , the development is on hold, while a private investor is sought.

Controversy

The development of Kampala Tower has been strongly opposed by a wide section of society. Currently, there is a civil lawsuit winding its way through the Ugandan court system, that was filed by a consortium of civil society organisations that are opposed to the project.

Photos and diagrams

Artistic Rendering of Kampala Tower

References

External links

Website of the Uganda Ministry of Tourism, Trade and IndustryFirm Designs 222 Meters High Tower High Tower For Ugandan Capital
{{Kampala District Buildings and structures in Kampala Skyscraper office buildings in Uganda