By Spy Uganda
The Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, has ordered all street vendors, hawkers, taxi drivers and boda boda riders operating in undesignated areas to vacate the streets of Kampala with immediate effect, warning that defiance of the directive will attract arrests and prosecution.
The directive targets individuals operating on roads, pavements and other non-gazetted spaces, particularly within the Central Business District (CBD). The Minister said the continued occupation of walkways and roads by informal traders and transport operators had undermined urban order, public safety and sanitation.
According to the Ministry and the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), enforcement will be carried out jointly by city authorities and security agencies. Those who fail to comply with the directive risk arrest and being charged in courts of law.
The crackdown focuses on key streets and road corridors within the CBD that have been heavily affected by congestion and unregulated activity. These include Ben Kiwanuka Street, Luwuum Street, Namirembe Road, Nakivubo Road and Allen Road, among others.
City officials say the presence of street vendors, informal taxi stages and boda boda riders in these areas has significantly disrupted traffic flow and restricted pedestrian movement.
Government officials have emphasised that the directive is not intended to deprive vendors of their livelihoods. The Ministry and KCCA say alternative, free trading spaces are available in KCCA-managed markets across the city’s divisions.
Vendors have been encouraged to relocate to these gazetted markets, which authorities say offer safer, more organised and sanitary environments for trade.
The Ministry said the move is part of broader efforts to restore order in the city, improve cleanliness, ease traffic congestion and enhance public safety. Officials also cited the need to protect pedestrians by clearing walkways and to reduce accidents caused by boda boda riders and taxis operating in unauthorized locations.
The directive aligns with the government’s long-term vision of transforming Kampala into a “smart city,” with regulated commercial activity and improved urban management.
