Traders in Masaka City are gripped by anxiety following a directive from city authorities ordering all street vendors to vacate the streets within one week, in a move aimed at restoring trading order.
The ultimatum, issued by Masaka City Clerk Daniel Kaweesi, is intended to compel traders to relocate to officially gazetted markets. Authorities say the move is part of a broader effort to streamline urban trade and decongest the city.
Speaking to traders, Kaweesi explained that the enforcement follows a directive from the Ministry of Local Government, led by Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya, instructing all cities, municipalities, and town councils to reorganize trade and restore order in urban centers.
“We are not chasing you away from business,” Kaweesi said. “We are asking you to operate from designated areas that are recognized and regulated.”
He urged vendors to relocate to alternative markets including Ssaza, Kyabakuza, Kabonera, Katwe, and Kitanga, noting that trading in these areas would only be permitted within regulated hours that do not extend beyond midnight.
However, the directive has sparked concern and resistance among traders, many of whom say the move threatens their already fragile livelihoods.
The Chairperson of the Masaka City Traders Alliance, Edward Muyanja Kyambadde, raised additional concerns about what he described as unfair competition from foreign traders, particularly Chinese nationals.
Kyambadde accused them of bypassing the traditional supply chain by selling goods directly to consumers at significantly lower prices.
“This kind of competition is crippling our businesses,” he said. “Customers are opting for cheaper goods sold directly by these traders, leaving local merchants unable to compete or even recover their capital.”
Kyambadde warned that many traders are now struggling to meet basic obligations such as paying trading licenses, and called on city authorities to impose stricter regulations on foreign-owned businesses.
At the grassroots level, the directive is already stirring fear among small-scale vendors like Amina Namagembe, a mother of four and beneficiary of the government’s Parish Development Model (PDM).
Namagembe, who has been selling chips on the streets, says she cannot afford to rent space in the designated markets. She worries that the eviction could collapse her small business and undermine her ability to both repay PDM funds and provide for her children.
“I depend on this business for everything,” she said. “If I am removed from the street and I cannot afford a stall, I don’t know how I will survive.”
As the one-week deadline approaches, uncertainty hangs over Masaka’s informal business community. While authorities insist the directive is necessary for urban order, traders fear it could push many of them out of business entirely, deepening economic hardship in a city where street trade remains a lifeline for thousands.
