Entebbe Traders at War with Gov’t Over Eviction Deadline, Defiant Vow to Resist Kiosk Ban
ENTEBBE, Uganda – A bitter standoff is unfolding in Entebbe municipality as the central government’s directive to restore “trade order” has ignited fierce resistance from thousands of street vendors and kiosk owners facing imminent eviction.
The Ministry of Local Government has issued a sweeping ultimatum to all Chief Administrative Officers and Town Clerks, ordering the immediate removal of all illegal structures, including containers and “ugly kiosks,” from streets, pavements, and public walkways.
The directive, signed by Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya on March 10, 2026, invokes the Trade (Licensing) Act, Cap 101, insisting that all sellers must possess valid licenses and operate only from designated trading areas.
However, the order has detonated a political firestorm in Entebbe, where municipal authorities have given traders a one-week deadline to vacate or face demolition.
‘Time Bomb’ of Urban Discontent
According to ministry documents, the crackdown is a response to the “significant influx of people into urban areas” who lack capital for formal businesses, forcing them into illegal street vending and hawking. The government argues that public spaces have been overrun, affecting movement and harming formal traders who pay rent for shops and markets.
Yet for the vendors of Entebbe, the directive is a death sentence for their livelihoods. The town, a critical tourism hub home to Uganda’s international airport, has a long and violent history with such bans—and traders are warning that history is about to repeat itself.
‘We Will Not Move’
Traders have already begun running to different local offices, pleading for more time, while others vow to physically resist removal. The resistance echoes two previous failed attempts to clear the streets.
In 2009, former Mayor Stephen Kabuye banned mushrooming kiosks, leading to massive trader protests. In 2011, former Mayor Vincent Kayanja Depaul made a similar attempt to ban containers, only to be met with angry resistance that forced a retreat.
“The government is sitting on a time bomb,” a vendor who requested anonymity told The Brief Post. “We survived Kabuye. We survived Kayanja. If they try to take our kiosks now, Entebbe will burn.”
Municipal Silence
As of press time, Entebbe Municipal Town Clerk Mugisha Emmanuel Gacharo had not issued an official statement regarding the enforcement of the guidelines. However, the ministry has instructed local leaders to take “immediate action,” warning that disorganized trading is becoming “difficult to control.”
The guidelines also include removing campaign posters, cleaning markets daily, paving frontages, and installing security lighting.
For now, the streets of Entebbe remain a powder keg. With the one-week warning ticking down and no compromise in sight, traders are bracing for a showdown reminiscent of the violent evictions of the past.
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