Lukwago tells off Kamya over eviction of vendors
A man who operates business along Namirembe road in Kampala packs his merchandise as police officers order vendors to vacate city streets on Tuesday. Photo by Colleb Mugume
What you need to know:
- Vendors are back on Kampala streets operating businesses normally.
- Some vendors who talked to Daily Monitor have also defied the minister's directive saying they will only listen to Mr Lukwago.
- KCCA for close to four years used its law enforcement personnel to keep the 1,800 registered vendors off the streets in its efforts to re-organise land use in the city and main law and order.
KAMPALA. The Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has said street vendors in the city are going nowhere, a day after Kampala Minister Beti Kamya ordered their eviction.
“The minister should respect Kampala Capital City Authority leaders (KCCA) and decisions it makes. Kamya should stop uttering statements of evicting vendors who are less privileged,” Mr Lukwago said on Thursday.
The minister’s proclamations followed threats by shop owners, citing high taxes and rent overheads, said the practice of vendors staging in front of their shops and selling merchandise at lower costs amounted to unfair competition.
KCCA for close to four years used its law enforcement personnel to keep the 1,800 registered vendors off the streets in its efforts to re-organise land use in the city and main law and order. They mobile hawkers returned to the streets during the lax pre-election period, and have since stayed put.
Vendors operating businesses down town on Thursday October 20. Some vendors who talked to Daily Monitor have also defied the minister's directive saying they will only listen to Mr Lukwago. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa.
Minister Kamya on Wednesday read for them the riot act to leave or be forced out in what she says will end their unfair trade “practices” and “competition”.
She also linked insecurity and violence in the city to the vendors, including hamstringing operations of licensed businesses.
Mr Lukwago on Thursday, however, scorned the government directive, saying the elected Council he heads has the legal mandate and will exercise people’s will on how the city is governed.
“We do not work on directives and Kampala leaders were not elected to take directives in that manner,” he said.
The Lord Mayor said the Authority will meet on Monday, next week, to temporarily convert some roads into pedestrian walkways and markets for the vendors pending a permanent solution.
