CELEBRATING THE CITY STRIKES, A VENDOR'S TALE

Written by: 
FAHAD MUGANGA

 

When any form of demos start in Kampala city, different people feel unsafe and run to escape it, business people close up their shops and run to save their lives from tear gas. But the story is different for street vendors, who take the opportunity to make increased sales, free of the watchful eyes of the Kampala Capital City Authority enforcement officers.

KCCA enforcement officers depart from the city immediately any demos commence, and this gives chance to vendors who flood the streets of the capital and sale their merchandise. These mainly deal in fresh fruits, clothes, shoes and plastics.

Kakwangu Ramadhan is a street vendor who sells second hand jackets at William Street. He says when there is any form of demonstrations, he makes a lot of profit. “When there is a strike, I make more profit than normal days because all shops are closed and my clients increase in number,” he said.

Lubwama Denis, also a street vendor who deals in new men’s jeans says he knows KCCA officers fear vendors and they can’t stay when there is a strike. "KCCA officers fear some of us and they know vendors can injure them since they are also harsh to vendors during normal days,” he said. "And once they leave, we wait a few hours and then occupy the street,” he adds.

Although vendors utilize the chance of strikes to run their businesses along the streets of the capital, street business was declared illegal. Robert Kalumba, the KCCA deputy publicist instead advises the vendors to occupy other places other than the streets. “Vendors should occupy the gazetted markets, there is enough space,“ he said in an earlier interview with the New Vision.