Landlords tighten rules on accessing city arcades

Qualicel Bus Terminal Shopping Arcade in Kampala

What you need to know:

The Minister of Trade, Ms Amelia Kyambadde, said arcades will officially open tomorrow.


Business is not as usual for customers and traders who want to access city arcades after landlords tightened rules.

This comes after government listed 33 standard operation procedures that arcade owners and traders must follow in order to reopen their shops.

It cleared 48 city arcades on Tuesday that fulfilled the requirements, and asked the 35 that did not to remain closed.

When Daily Monitor visited Ham Shopping Malls yesterday, guards had been deployed at all entry points to ensure that traders and customers wash hands, wear masks and take body temperature before accessing the building.

The situation was similar in other arcades, including Gazaland, Kisakya Maria, Jesco Building on William Road, Galiraya Commercial Plaza, among others.

Mr Richard Tumwebaza, a guard at Kisakya Maria, said they were following strict orders from their bosses.

He said other security officers had been deployed inside the arcades to ensure that all traders follow the guideline of social distancing.

“We are not only monitoring outside. All traders inside have to ensure that there is social distancing among their buyers. If we find one flouting them, we ask some of their traders to step aside,” Mr Tumwebaza said.

He said their arcade has six entry points but they were asked to open only two to effectively handle people entering.

Mr Brian Mugisha, a trader at Ham Shopping Mall, said since management had supported them, their role would be to ensure that shops are not congested.

“We have to follow the government rules because we do not want to spend more months at home. We have enough sanitisers for our customers. A customer should not spend more than two minutes on the counter to give others space,” Mr Mugisha said.

Mr Hamis Kigguddu, the proprietor of Ham Shopping Malls, said management was preparing all its traders for grand opening tomorrow.

“Government has done its part, it is now our role as the owner of the building to ensure that traders and customers play their role,” Mr Kiguddu said.

However, traders in Kikuubo, a business hub in downtown, Gazaland corridors and those operating on roadsides were not observing social distancing.

Background

Traders operating in arcades have been under lockdown since late March. Arcades that attract large crowds and have poor ventilation remain closed.  The Minister of Trade, Ms Amelia Kyambadde, said arcades will officially open tomorrow.