“Evict Vendors Only After Providing Alternatives” – Nambooze Tells Mukono Municipality.

Mukono, Uganda: As the April 1, 2026 deadline for street vendors to vacate the streets of Mukono Municipality approaches, area Member of Parliament Hon. Betty Nambooze Bakireke has firmly opposed the eviction, calling on authorities to first secure proper trading spaces for the affected traders.

Speaking at a press conference held at her home in Nakabaggo, Mukono Municipality, Nambooze said she does not support the implementation of the municipal council’s directive in its current form.

“These people have created their own jobs at a time when Uganda is facing a serious challenge of job opportunities,” she stated. “They are not criminals; they are hardworking citizens trying to earn a living and support their families.”

Nambooze pointed out that unlike other cities and municipalities where vendors have been relocated to government-constructed markets funded under various development programs, Mukono lacks such ready facilities. “Why is the government implementing this directive here without first gazetting a suitable space where these vendors can work from?” she asked. “It is unfair and unrealistic to chase them off the streets before providing viable alternatives.”

Kame Valley Market the only community market in Mukono Municipality

The Mukono Municipal Council recently directed all street vendors and small businesses operating on road reserves to stop trading by April 1, 2026, as part of a broader national push to decongest urban areas and restore order. The move has affected traders along major routes including Wantoni, Kayunga-Bugerere, and other busy areas in the municipality.

However, Nambooze argued that enforcing the directive without adequate preparation would push hundreds of families deeper into poverty. She stressed that her position is not driven by politics but by a genuine desire to protect lower income earners who depend on street vending for daily survival.

Nambooze is yet to sit down with the Town Clerk, Mr. Francis Byabagambi, to discuss how the leader in the municiplality can handle this issue in a way that does not destroy anyone’s livelihood.

Hon. Betty Nambooze Bakireke has a consistent record of supporting street and roadside vendors in Mukono Municipality through direct advocacy. In November 2014, she cautioned the Mukono Mayor against evicting roadside traders, highlighting the plight of at least 300 affected vendors and sparking a row with municipal authorities over their livelihoods.

In November 2019, she personally mediated a clash at Kame Valley Market between market management and weekly vendors operating on the road; she advised halting operations until authorities gazetted a proper new space for the traders and publicly clashed with the Mayor over plans to evict vendors from the area.

These interventions reflect her long standing pattern of urging dialogue, opposing forced removals without viable alternatives, and positioning herself as a protector of low income traders who create their own jobs in Mukono.