Hawkers, street vendors to operate from Nakivubo Settlement School
Vendors near the New Taxi Park complain after KCCA personnel sent them away from the streets in January. PHOTO | JOSEPH KIGGUNDU
What you need to know:
- The Lord Chancellor for Kampala Central, Mr Moses Katabu, asked hawkers to continue demanding for their rights to ensure that they are allowed to operate on some of the city streets as passed by the KCCA council.
Kampala Central Division mayor, Mr Salim Uhuru, on Monday announced that President Museveni has given a green light to hawkers and street vendors to operate from Nakivubo Settlement Primary School during the festival season until February 2023.
Mr Uhuru said the move would ensure that hawkers and street vendors earn a living in the Christmas season.
According to Mr Uhuru, the President dismissed a KCCA resolution, which proposed to have hawkers and street vendors to operate on the three roads of Kafumbe Mukasa, Namirembe and Sebaana Kizito road.
“I realised that the resolution to have hawkers or street vendors on any of the city roads will never be achieved, so I asked the president to allow them do business at Nakivubo Settlement Primary School which he accepted and hawkers are free to start using the school” Mr Uhuru said while addressing journalists in Kampala yesterday.
“We have not taken up the school. Since pupils are on holiday, the hawkers and street vendors will be using the school until the beginning of the first academic term in February next year (2023),” he added.
In January, government through Resident City Commissioner (RCC) and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) ordered all hawkers and street vendors to vacate the city streets, urging them to occupy the empty stalls in markets like Usafi and Wandengeya, which many declined due to limited financial capital.
The chairperson for the federation of hawkers and vendors association, Mr Richard Lubega commended government for providing an interim solution to ensure that hawkers and street vendors earn a living during the festival season.
“Hawkers and street vendors have been not working for the last 10 months, some have died and many cannot afford to take their children to school. The president’s decision to allow us to operate from Nakivubo Settlement School shall enable us provide for our families in this period,” Mr Lubega said.
However, Kampala Lord Mayor, Mr Erias Lukwago said he cannot just look on when the government is plotting to take up the school in guise of resettling vendors.
“Government has phased out many schools in the city centre in the same way, for a long time government wanted to replace Nakivubo settlement school. Now they want to use this opportunity to phase out this historical school, and as KCCA leaders we shall not allow this,” Mr Lukwago said.
“KCCA council should come out immediately and pass a resolution to save Nakivubo Settlement School because we should be looking for a long lasting solution for the resettlement of the hawkers and street vendors instead of hoodwinking them with short term solutions,” he added.
The Lord Chancellor for Kampala Central, Mr Moses Katabu, asked hawkers to continue demanding for their rights to ensure that they are allowed to operate on some of the city streets as passed by the KCCA council.
“Hawkers and street vendors must insist on being allowed to operationalise the Sunday markets as well as being allowed to do business on some streets like Kafumbe Mukasa, Sabana Kizito and Allen roads. Putting them at Nakivubo settlement school is not a solution because that is school land,” Mr Katabu said.
