KCCA proposes market days
Sep 08, 2011
THE Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is planning to designate areas within the city where vendors can sell their merchandise for a period as a short-term measure.
By Taddeo Bwambale and Juliet Waiswa
THE Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is planning to designate areas within the city where vendors can sell their merchandise for a period as a short-term measure.
Once established, street vendors and hawkers will be allowed to sell along selected streets and public spaces only after 4:00pm to reduce congestion on the streets during normal working hours.
The traders will also be allowed to sell their merchandise during selected events of the calendar year, similar to a street trade culture popular in Europe and several US cities.
This is one of the proposals discussed at KCCA’s special council meeting at the Mayor’s Parlour in Kampala yesterday.
The authority has given the city planning department one week to establish areas that can be gazetted for the temporary markets. The councillors also asked the KCCA’s planning unit to soon consider the regularlising of mobile markets in various city suburbs.
During yesterday’s meeting, however, the city councillors were non-committal to an appeal by the Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, on plans to find temporary spaces for vendors evicted from the streets by KCCA on Monday.
Lukwago disowned the exercise, claiming he was neither involved nor informed.
“KCCA had agreed to meet the vendors yesterday to seek views and were still collecting information to formulate a policy. The eviction exercise was illegal because KCCA, which comprises the Lord Mayor and councillors, was not involved,†Lukwago said.
Lukwago argued that the Trade Order Ordinance of 2006, quoted by the Kampala executive director, Jennifer Musisi, does not outlaw vending, but provides for KCCA to license vendors by issuing permits to them.
Lukwago said he was not opposed to order when it comes to doing business in the city, but condemned the manner in which the vendors were evicted.
The councillors were divided on the eviction exercise, as some supported the exercise while others blamed KCCA for being high-handed.
The deputy director in charge of physical planning, George Agaba, said the authority had started investigating the excesses of KCCA’s officers.
THE Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is planning to designate areas within the city where vendors can sell their merchandise for a period as a short-term measure.
Once established, street vendors and hawkers will be allowed to sell along selected streets and public spaces only after 4:00pm to reduce congestion on the streets during normal working hours.
The traders will also be allowed to sell their merchandise during selected events of the calendar year, similar to a street trade culture popular in Europe and several US cities.
This is one of the proposals discussed at KCCA’s special council meeting at the Mayor’s Parlour in Kampala yesterday.
The authority has given the city planning department one week to establish areas that can be gazetted for the temporary markets. The councillors also asked the KCCA’s planning unit to soon consider the regularlising of mobile markets in various city suburbs.
During yesterday’s meeting, however, the city councillors were non-committal to an appeal by the Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, on plans to find temporary spaces for vendors evicted from the streets by KCCA on Monday.
Lukwago disowned the exercise, claiming he was neither involved nor informed.
“KCCA had agreed to meet the vendors yesterday to seek views and were still collecting information to formulate a policy. The eviction exercise was illegal because KCCA, which comprises the Lord Mayor and councillors, was not involved,†Lukwago said.
Lukwago argued that the Trade Order Ordinance of 2006, quoted by the Kampala executive director, Jennifer Musisi, does not outlaw vending, but provides for KCCA to license vendors by issuing permits to them.
Lukwago said he was not opposed to order when it comes to doing business in the city, but condemned the manner in which the vendors were evicted.
The councillors were divided on the eviction exercise, as some supported the exercise while others blamed KCCA for being high-handed.
The deputy director in charge of physical planning, George Agaba, said the authority had started investigating the excesses of KCCA’s officers.