Kampala street vendors given 2-week ultimatum to vacate streets

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, has issued a two-week ultimatum to street vendors to vacate Kampala’s streets, warning that strict enforcement will resume after the grace period. The directive follows more than three months of congestion caused by thousands of street vendors, illegal boda boda operators, and taxi stages occupying nearly every corner of the city.

The situation escalated after the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) enforcement team halted implementation of the city trade order from October last year. KCCA initially relaxed enforcement during the Christmas season to allow vendors to benefit from increased seasonal trade. The situation later worsened during the presidential and other elections, as the authority deliberately avoided enforcing the trade order to prevent actions that could negatively affect votes for certain candidates, particularly those from the ruling NRM party in Kampala.

Speaking to journalists at the government-owned Media Centre in Kampala on Thursday, Minister Kabanda first ordered KCCA and police to immediately enforce the city trade order. However, following appeals from leaders of street vendors, she revised her directive and granted vendors two weeks to vacate the streets voluntarily. Kabanda said the political season has ended and warned that the government will no longer tolerate congestion, disorder, lawlessness, or abuse of public space under the guise of survival or politics.

She noted that Kampala is now entering a phase of strict, full, and continuous enforcement of all city laws and ordinances. The minister further explained that the government has provided alternatives for vendors, including gazetted markets and designated boda boda stages. She added that KCCA will reinstate the Sunday market to give vendors additional working hours from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to ease congestion and allow for city cleaning.

Kabanda warned that anyone—including enforcement officers or political leaders—found breaching the city trade order will be prosecuted. “This operation is not targeting the poor but lawlessness. Without order, the city collapses for everyone. Kampala is not just a place for survival; it is the capital city of the Republic of Uganda. It must be clean, safe, passable, and dignified,” she said.

Street vendors welcomed the engagement. Their leader, Kenneth Kizito, thanked city authorities for consulting them before enforcement began, but raised concerns over delays in implementing the Sunday market, which had already been approved by KCCA.

Using the same platform, Kizito appealed to the minister to reconsider immediate enforcement, explaining that many vendors had stocked goods for the back-to-school season. He requested two weeks to sell their items, earn income, and pay school fees ahead of the new term starting on the 10th of this month.

KCCA Deputy Executive Director Benon Kigenyi acknowledged that congestion caused by street vending has significantly affected movement within the city. He explained that laws governing trade in Kampala—including the KCCA Act, the Trade Licensing Act, and the Local Government (Kampala City Traders) Bylaws—are meant to protect lives and ensure order rather than punish traders.Kigenyi said workspaces are available in gazetted markets, with plans underway to establish additional markets in areas such as Kamwokya and Ggaba, as well as completing Kitintale market to create more trading spaces. He added that KCCA will carry out a two-week sensitization campaign targeting street vendors, taxi operators, and boda boda riders to encourage voluntary compliance and self-enforcement.

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