Transport reforms next as govt tightens trade order enforcement

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The Government has signalled that reforms in the transport sector will be the next major focus, following Cabinet’s reaffirmation of ongoing trade order enforcement measures aimed at restoring order in urban centres.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Head of Corporate Affairs Emmanuel Niweabine told journalists at Uganda Media Centre that with trade order enforcement now taking shape, attention will soon shift to reforms in the transport sector, particularly within the Kampala Metropolitan Area.

Niweabine said the decision reflects a broader strategy to restore urban order while strengthening institutional oversight and preparing cities—especially Kampala—for rapid urbanisation.

He said the next phase will target long-standing challenges such as congestion, unregulated public transport, and road safety.

He informed journalists that the city has already started to register improvements following the enforcement drive, including reduced congestion, better sanitation and increased uptake of market spaces.

“We have all seen reduced traffic obstruction within the city—both on walkways and roadways in areas such as Ntinda, Nakasero, Allen Road, Ndeeba, Busega and Kalerwe, where movement was previously very difficult,” he said.

Phased reforms

Niweabine revealed that KCCA is preparing to roll out phased transport reforms, including the regulation of bodaboda operations and the introduction of a more structured urban bus system.

“Reforms will be implemented in phases. For now, the focus remains on trade order, but preparations are ongoing to improve the transport system,” he said.

Authorities have already initiated engagements with bodaboda operators, who are in the process of organising themselves into a national federation, as part of efforts to bring the sector under a more coordinated and regulated framework.

The planned reforms are expected to ease traffic congestion, improve road safety, and align urban mobility systems with the broader goal of orderly and sustainable city development.

Niweabine added that progress has also been made in improving non-motorised transport infrastructure, particularly along the corridor from Namirembe Road to Nkrumah Street, as the city moves to promote safer and more efficient movement of pedestrians and cyclists.

As the Government consolidates gains from trade order enforcement, the anticipated transport sector reforms are expected to mark the next phase in reshaping Uganda’s urban landscape.

The enforcement stems from a March 10, 2026, circular directing all local governments to streamline operations in towns and cities by relocating traders to gazetted areas, improving sanitation, and regulating business activities.

Local government minister Raphael Magyezi and Kampala affairs minister Hajjat Minsa Kabanda told journalists that during a recent Cabinet sitting, leaders resolved that the guidelines remain fully in force, despite earlier concerns about implementation.

Under the directive, local authorities are required to ensure the relocation of traders to designated trading spaces, enforce mandatory licensing of businesses, and uphold improved sanitation and food handling standards.

The measures also include regular market cleaning and waste management, removal of campaign posters after elections, tighter regulation of development approvals, and the streamlining of public transport systems in urban areas.

Magyezi said the Government would now focus on strengthening implementation while addressing concerns raised by stakeholders, particularly traders who complained about the speed and manner in which the directive was rolled out.

“We are going to step up community sensitisation to make sure that everyone is on board,” the minister said. “One of the complaints was that implementation had been rushed without adequately engaging the public.”

To bridge this gap, the Government will establish a multi-stakeholder task force bringing together traders, religious leaders and local authorities to oversee enforcement and resolve grievances arising from the exercise.

“The government is a listening government,” the minister added. “We shall ensure that those who have not yet secured space in gazetted areas are reassigned so that we do not compromise livelihoods.”

The decisions, officials say, reflect a broader strategy to restore urban order while strengthening institutional oversight and preparing cities—especially Kampala—for rapid urbanisation.

With trade order enforcement now taking shape, attention is shifting to reforms in the transport sector, particularly within the Kampala Metropolitan Area.

Authorities say the next phase will target long-standing challenges such as congestion, unregulated public transport, and road safety.