Katuna border leaders to evict kiosk operators
A man shops from a kiosk at Katuna border town in Kabale District at the weekend. PHOTO | ROBERT MUHEREZA
Kiosk operators at Katuna border town in Kabale District are living on borrowed time after authorities threatened to evict them for operating on road reserves.
Mr Josephat Mukamaniwe, 44, a resident of Mayengo-Kinyogo Ward Katuna Town Council, Kabale District, is among the people who face eviction.
“I have been operating this Kiosk at Katuna for the last 18 years and it is where I have been deriving my livelihood. I use this kiosk as a workshop for repairing radios and mobile phones. In 2018, I started a mobile money business, I appeal to the government to consider compensating or giving us an alternative workplace before evicting us,’’ Mr Mukamaniwe said at the weekend.
Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) in partnership with Katuna Town Council authorities in June issued a notice to demolish the kiosks because they are posing a security threat to fuel trucks that park in the area before being cleared to Rwanda.
The town clerk for Katuna Town Council, Mr Christmas Byarugaba, said most traders have been using charcoal stoves to cook in kiosks, which poses a threat to fire outbreaks.
“Unra has established that you [kiosk operators] encroached on the road reserve at Katuna border by electing kiosks. Your action mentioned above is in contravention of Uganda national roads authority general regulations 2017. Therefore, in accordance with the regulation 6 (4) and 7 (5) of the Unra General Regulations 2017, you are hereby notified to remove the said encroachment within 30 days from the date of this notice,” the Unra enforcement supervisor, Mr Brian Makumbi, said in his June 16 notice addressed to the chairman of Katuna business community, Mr Franko Korinako.
Mr Korinako said whereas the plan to beautify the border town and ensure safety of the traders is good, the timing is wrong.
“Cross border business at Katuna collapsed in March 2019 when the Rwandan authorities closed its Gatuna border before stopping their nationals from crossing into Uganda. In March, the border was reopened for cross border business and all the traders paid licenses to the town council authorities, including those operating kiosks. Threatening to demolish kiosks immediately after the reopening of the border and even after the traders paid licenses is not fair,” Mr Korinako said.
He added that for more than 30 years that he has been operating at Katuna border post, he has never witnessed a fire outbreakout originating from kiosk operators and wondered why the eviction had been planned on such a short notice. “We appealed to the State minister for Trade Industry and Cooperatives (Industry), Mr David Bahati, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Ndorwa West Constituency in Kabale where Katuna Town Council is located for possible extension of the eviction time and we are yet to receive feedback from him,” Mr Korinako said.
Mr Byarugaba said they don’t have an alternative land for kiosk operators.
“They have been operating kiosks illegally in the road reserves, we cannot even think of compensating them, all they have to do is vacate the road reserves,” Mr Byarugaba said, adding that some kiosks harbor criminals.
The Unra station manager for Kabale region, Mr Felix Beinamaryo, said plans were underway to carry out the eviction exercise. “I am sure this week we shall begin the enforcement because the grace period expired one month ago,” he said.
About Katuna border
Katuna border town is located in Katuna Town Council, Kabale District in southwestern Uganda and it sets the boundary between Uganda and Rwanda besides being the entry and the exit of exports and imports of Rwanda. Mr Peter Gikwiyakare, the customs regional manager at Uganda Revenu Authority, said an average of 120 cargo trucks use the Katuna/Gatuna border everyday.
