Govt to reopen 48 arcades on Friday

The government has cleared 48 city arcades to reopen on Friday, but shops in the basement have been permanently banned, sending thousands of tenants, who have been battered by the four-month lockdown and rent arrears, to another uncertainty.

The clearing of the 48 shopping centres comes after traders operating in the arcades defied government orders and opened them on Monday triggering running battles with police in the city centre.

The Minister of Trade, Ms Amelia Kyambadde, said 35 arcades will remain closed until they meet the government standards operating procedures and another verification will be done in less than a week.

“Before Friday, we will declare those arcades that have met the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) open. The other arcades that did not meet the SOPs will be re-evaluated by the team in a few days, but should be less than a week,” Ms Kyambadde said while meeting landlords and tenants in Kampala City.

President Museveni ordered the arcades to remain closed as a way of containing the spread of coronavirus into the community.

Traders in arcades have been under lockdown for 105 days. Uganda has registered 1040 cases of coronavirus, but without any death.

The arcade inspection report presented yesterday concluded that the basement floors will only be used for stores or car parking.

Nearly all arcades had illegally converted basement floors into shops and they have been rated second highest rented areas in those buildings after the ground floor.

“Use of the basement floors as shops is strictly prohibited unless air extractors have been fixed. However, these may be used as stores or for car parking,” the report reads in part.

The basement floors are largely used by wholesalers that supply retail shops on the first and second floors.

Mr John Kabanda, the chairman of New Generation Traders Association, who has two shops in the basement at Nana Arcade on Nabugabo Road, said thousands of traders are to be affected.

“Where are tenants going go to now? Traders have been using them as stores and wholesale shops? We cannot accept that,” Mr Kabanda said yesterday.

The inspection report indicated that the basement areas had no quality ventilation and lighting.

The government also used the coronavirus SOPs to get data on issues, like registration of all tenants and shop attendants, that they had failed to collect for years to enable effective collection of taxes and levies.

“Arcade owners must submit a comprehensive list of the tenants and shop attendants operating in their arcades. This must be accompanied with a list of the compliance officers,” the report reads in part.

Speaking after the meeting with Ms Kyambadde, Mr Sudhir Ruparelia, one of the biggest landlords in Kampala, said: “The government team inspected 77 properties and cleared 47 or 48 arcades to operate. I think it is important that the landlords work towards making sure that they adhere to SOPs and other measures in place. As landlords, we want our tenants to do the same so that we have a safe environment for people using our facilities including customers.”

Some of the arcades allowed to open include: Mukwano arcade, Modern shoplex, Grand corner plaza, Arua Park Plaza, Arua park Annex, Magoba Shopping, Mega Plaza, Sekaziga House, Teddy’s plaza, Prism, E-Tower, Kampala Plaza, Eagle plaza, Royal Plaza, Hanifa Towers, Yamaha centre, Zai plaza, Jjemba Plaza, Market plaza, Kisekka Auto centre, Apple plaza, Gagawala, Shamba complex and Shauriyako original.

Those still under review are; Boost complex, Superior complex, Katitkati complex, Arro complex, Peoples plaza, Park Enkadde mall, Annet Plaza, Silva arcade, The Arcade, Nagatule plaza, JBK plaza, museoimpoza, Park view shopping centre, Maria’s galleria, Namaganda plaza, Universal house,
California plaza, City centre complex, Gaza land, Royal complex, Katonga business centre,
Totala Business centre, Nakasule, Zibula Atudde, Victor, Nana, Quallicel Bus terminal,
French Plaza, Nasser road mall, Printers house, Dembelyo house, Moonlight arcade, Sal house, Kalungi Plaza and Haider plaza.

[email protected]