Evicted Mbarara city vendors urged to fill over 5,000 empty market stalls
The directive comes as city authorities intensify an operation to restore order and cleanliness, which has seen vendors removed from the streets. The exercise, which began on March 16, 2026, led by Mbarara city commercial officer Allan Buhanda, began with the clearing of illegal structures along Mbaguta Street and is expected to last a month.
Mbarara City enforcement team implementing street order on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Credit: Abdulkarim Ssengendo)
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Mbarara City Council has urged street vendors affected by the ongoing clean-up operation to relocate to designated markets, revealing that more than 5,000 stalls across the city remain unoccupied.
The directive comes as city authorities intensify an operation to restore order and cleanliness, which has seen vendors removed from the streets.
The exercise, which began on March 16, 2026, led by Mbarara city commercial officer Allan Buhanda, began with the clearing of illegal structures along Mbaguta Street and is expected to last a month.
Mbarara City enforcement team implementing street order on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Credit: Abdulkarim Ssengendo)
Buhanda said vendors had been given a two-week deadline to vacate the streets, with an additional week granted to allow them to prepare.
“We were supposed to kick off the operation on March 11, but decided to give them an extra week to prepare to vacate,” Buhanda stated.
He added that authorities carried out radio and television announcements, alongside public messaging campaigns launched earlier, to encourage compliance with street order regulations.
Mbarara City enforcement team implementing street order on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Credit: Abdulkarim Ssengendo)
Buhanda explained that the operation is intended to enforce order and directed traders to relocate to gazetted markets, including Mbarara Central Market.
Traders who failed to comply had their goods confiscated and taken to gazetted storage areas at the former Kamukuzi Division, although authorities said the items would be returned to their owners.
“Our interest is not to take people’s goods but to restore town order, “he stated.
Buhanda urged affected traders to approach the city council for allocation of operating spaces, noting that a recent survey found over 5,000 unoccupied spaces in city markets, including Mbarara Central Market and Rwebikona Market.
He warned that the operation will extend to other sectors, including transport, targeting taxis and boda bodas operating outside gazetted areas.
City town clerk Sarah Nandaula said the exercise is expected to decongest the city and improve the flow of business activities.
However, some traders raised concerns about the operation, saying it disrupts livelihoods and affects low-income earners. Others cited inadequate sensitisation and the risk of defaulting on loans due to business interruptions.