Street Vendors Cry Foul
Vendors operating on the streets of Kampala city center have accused Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA of unfairly evicting and confiscating their merchandise.
On Tuesday, KCCA law enforcement officers and police cops stormed the streets and started evicting vendors operating in the Central business district to impose order and minimize the spread of covid19.
Most of the affected vendors were from Ben Kiwanuka Street, Kikuubo Lane, and Allen road.
After the operation was enforced yesterday, a number of defiant vendors are back on the streets and demanding freedom to transact business normally.
The vendors want their merchandise to be returned to them and they be allowed to operate freely because they need to survive.
They claim following the reopening of the 42-day lockdown, the majority of them incurred soft loans to restart their business, therefore taking their merchandise away is a major setback.
The vendors operating mainly Kikuubo land say it is wrong to evict them now.
Muhammad Wanzagilo, a street vendor says can’t afford to rent a shop for a business as low as Shilling 20,000 as capital.
Street Vendors Cry Foul
Mustafa Arnold Mugoya sells fruits on the street, he says as the sole breadwinner of his family,he is forced to operate on the street.
Mustafa suggests that KCCA should provide logical alternatives for them to work instead of confiscating merchandise and arresting vendors.
Other vendors who declined to reveal their identities claim it is difficult to survive without a source of income in Uganda.
They claim most didn’t receive Prime Minister Nabbanja’s relief package and street vending is a quicker way to sell for survival.
Last week, the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Kabuye Kyofatogabye announced plans to evict streets vendors.
He warned that the operations would continue until they create a trade order in the city.
While partially reopening the country after a 42-day lockdown, the president directed that all street vendors be relocated to control the spread of covid19.
”’The Kikuubo shopping center has been opened provided that all kiosks and roadside vendors are relocated to other areas.”
However, despite this order, street vendors continue to flock to the streets of Kampala to sell their merchandise.
To enforce this, the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Kabuye Kyofatogabye last week,announced plans to evict streets vendors.
He warned that the operations would continue until they create a trade order in the city.
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