Kiosk operators ordered to vacate Mubende Town
Some of the kioks on Lubanga Road in Mubende Town. At least 100 kiosk operators have up to April to look for alternative spaces for business or risk eviction. PHOTO BY JOSEPHINE
At least 100 kiosk operators in Mubende Municipality have up to April to look for alternative space for business or risk eviction.
The move is intended to pave way for the construction and expansion of the Lubanga Road. This comes after municipal authorities received Shs13b from World Bank to improve infrastructure.
The funds are expected to be used for upgrading selected roads, drainage systems and street lights.
Other roads to be prioritised under the first phase of the project are Kifuufu Road, Katogo Road, Church Road, and Central Market Road.
Mr Innocent Sekizivu, the mayor of Mubende Municipality, said all road designs and plans have already been approved and the work will commence soon.
“We have already met consultants from the Ministry of Lands, and Urban Development and they have given us the go-ahead to start construction,” Mr Ssekiziyivu said at the weekend.
He said they expect all the road reserves to be cleared by April.
“So, our people still have ample time to remove their kiosks and containers and relocate them to other areas,” he added.
Mr Sanyu Kyazze, the chairperson of Mubende Municipality Development Forum, a committee which was set up by the municipality to oversee all the activities for the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development [USMID] programme, said they have a common understanding with the affected traders to be relocated to Station Road in East Division.
“We expect our people to cooperate with the district authorities until the construction works are completed,” he added.
Mr Peter Mukwaya, a mobile phone shop attendant on Lubanga Road, said the proposed site for relocation is not appropriate for business.
Mubende Town is among the eight towns that benefited from the next phase of the Municipal Infrastructure Support (USMID) project worth $360 million (about Shs1.3 trillion).
The programme is aimed at enhancing institutional performance and improving service delivery in urban centres.
Other beneficiary districts include Kasese, Kamuli, Mubende, Apac, Kitgum, Ntungamo, and Busia.
Mubende, which was elevated to a municipality in 2017, comprises three divisions including West, East and South. It has a road network of 320 kms.
The municipality has a total population of 200,000 people and a budget of Shs20b.
