.UCB Building some years ago

Not every good Rally driver is a good property developer.

A lot has been said about the quality of his new Imperial Royale Hotel including its purportedly leaking swimming pool. In his CHOGM blog outgoing Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon slightly cynically called it ‘a potentially combustive combination of water and electricity’ – referring to a lot of journalists having arranged their expensive electronic equipment in a room located right underneath a dripping pool. (Less has been said about the Imperial Royale building seemingly cantilevering into the road reserve.)

Way more important to Kampalans, however, is what Mister H is doing to one of Kampala’s most iconic high-rise buildings: the former UCB Building, a beautiful chamfered tower growing out of a sculpturally shaped plinth, located in the very centre of town. After having been renamed ‘Cham Towers’, it is currently undergoing a thorough Mutasa-fication including a silly temple-like entrance canopy, yellow (!) window frames and cheap tiles.

The new cladding first looked like rather funky white and blue Aluminium panels. By now, nature is revealing the truth behind:

For crying out loud.