Vendors mint money as Uganda celebrates Martyrs

It is that time of the year when hundreds of vendors fill Namugongo roadsides near the Uganda Martyrs' shrines to make quick cash as they sell different merchandise to pilgrims and residents.

Under the scorching sun, vendors were seen singing to lure pilgrims to their stalls set up along Namugongo Road and to the makeshift stalls away from the road.

 
The products on the market include clothes, shoes, bags, drinks, fast foods, faith-related products like gospel books, rosaries, and Bibles among others.

To secure a place to work from, the vendors who traveled from as far as Masaka district are paying between sh50,000 and sh500,000 to landlords depending on the size of their working places.

 
They are also required to pay sh20,000 tax fee to Kira municipality.

However, vendors have decried receiving few customers despite the huge numbers of pilgrims at Namugongo.

They have attributed the challenge to the metallic boundaries that were put beside the road, limiting their access to the main road where pilgrims are passing.