DP decries manner of Park Yard eviction

The Democratic Party (DP) has condemned the manner in which the traders in the Park Yard Market, Nakivubo were evicted on Monday. 

The party accused government for failing to carry out its constitutional duty of protecting people and their property as well as siding with the investors instead of the common man. 

"We woke up to the worst news of the year so far, and that was the forceful and rogue eviction of the business persons at the Park Yard Market. It was a very unfortunate scenario which was barbaric characterized by anarchy" said Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, the party's deputy spokesperson. 

Mufumbiro said that the party is not against development but the means used to attain the said development are rather barbaric at the cost of people's property. 

 "Government through the arm of police destroyed people and their property. We now beginning to wonder if all the energy used was for the sake of creating parking space as Hon Betty Kamya had claimed or it was just the influence of petty cash given by the investor," said Mufumbiro. 

Mufumbiro made these remarks during the weekly press briefing at the party headquarters in Kampala on Tuesday. 

He said that government needs to be considerate in such a time when the country is facing a tough economic situation, a time when many parents are grapple with the high cost of education. 

Mufumbiro also criticized the Nakivubo Stadium management for behaving in an uncivil and suspicious manner by holding a meeting on Sunday evening. 

"It is quite unfortunate that some people have taken pleasure in mistreating others. Why did they do it at night? When we were growing up we were always told that anything done at night is uncanny, even for a visitor to come at night one would think that he has probably come to deliver some bad news that cannot wait until the next day" Mufumbiro said. 

Many traders on Monday morning woke up to the shock of finding the market sealed off with iron sheets by Police, leaving them stranded.

This according to the traders was done in the wee hours of Monday morning at about 2am. 

The move was later on followed by the demolition of stalls that started at about 8am that very day. 

Last week the Minister of Kampala, Betty Kamya, gave the traders an ultimatum of 30 days to vacate the area for redevelopment by Hamis Kiggundu, a businessman. 

The eviction however came four days after the minister's notice.