Buying from Kampala vendors could land you in prison

By Juliet Waiswa

Fifteen people have been arrested for allegedly buying merchandise from street vendors, who were outlawed from the streets over a year ago.

The city dwellers whose identifies could not be verified, were arrested in different spots in the city buying different items like fresh fruits, foods and handkerchiefs among other items from city vendors, an act which KCCA terms as supporting illegal vendors.

According to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the crackdown on vendors started in 2012, and the affected were encouraged to occupy spaces in city markets.

The KCCA assistant spokesperson Robert Kalumba explained that KCCA will jointly prosecute the street vendors and those who purchase from them for aiding and abetting illegal trade. The fifteen are to appear before the KCCA court.

KCCA executive director, Jennifer Musisi, recently told The New Vision that there is a provision in the law which provides for penalty for illegal trade activities.

She explained that anybody found engaging in the illegal activities will be cautioned, fined or sent to prison. Musisi however revealed that KCCA has embarked on an exercise of sensitizing the community and the business community on the importance of utilizing the space in the markets.   

Regulation of Trade Order within the Capital City is one of the Cardinal mandates of KCCA under the Kampala Capital City Act 2010.