The Minister for Kampala, Betty Kamya has directed the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) law enforcers and Police to crack the whip on vendors and hawkers who have again occupied restricted spaces in the city.
The Minister said this while addressing the press at Uganda Media Centre on Thursday.
“I have learnt that street vendors are back on the streets with impunity. This is against the laws that govern this city. I call upon street vendors to respect the spaces gazetted for other activities such as pedestrians and to create pathways into shops,” Kamya said.
She said that traders have already petitioned her office regarding the issue of vendors and hawkkers who have blocked passages to their shops.
“We have been through this. We don’t need to start fighting and running around with people again”.
Kamya revealed that a team headed by herself including city administrators and councillors recently visited Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kigali to benchmark on best practices regarding orderliness in these cities.
The Minister said that a report on the findings by the team will soon be submitted and that “if we need to revisit our ordinances, we shall do it”
“I therefore direct KCCA and Police to enforce the laws on street vendors and hawkers immediately,” she ordered.
Similarly, Kamya has warned individuals who are constructing buildings without the required permits that their structures will be demolished immediately.
“There is an upsurge of people building without approved permits. We are not going to allow these irresponsible people to endanger the lives of Ugandans by building without instruction from the regulators of this sector,” the Minister for Kampala stated.
“KCCA will demolish immediately all buildings that are being built without permits”.
She issued directives for the demolition of structures which are undergoing construction without permits.
Moses Atwine, the Director for Physical Planning at KCCA told reporters that notices for over 500 buildings across Kampala have been issued.
The Minister says the public has a responsibility to abide to the regulations and ordinances that guide the city.
She also cautioned the vendors who bribe KCCA law enforcers in the hope of trading from restricted areas.
“If they catch you, you will pay a fine or lose your goods. That space that this corrupt KCCA officer is renting to you doesn’t belong to them”.
Kamya appealed to city dwellers to contribute to making the Kampala they want, which includes abiding by the stipulated laws.
“You can’t have your cake and eat it. You can not say you want a well organized orderly city with everybody breaking the rules. With people building as they want in road reserves, drainage channels and setting merchandise wherever they want”.
She said that traders are adamant to relocate even when government has gazetted markets where they can conduct their business.