KAMPALA – In a significant move to address the growing tension between landlords and traders, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has personally summoned a group of prominent city tycoons who own major shopping arcades in Kampala.
This high-level intervention comes weeks after traders across the city closed their shops in a widespread protest, decrying high taxes from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and, more prominently, alleged mistreatment and exploitative practices by their landlords.
According to reliable information gathered by this publication, the Prime Minister has contacted the leadership of the influential Kwagalana Group, a powerful association of city businessmen. She has specifically instructed the group’s leader, tycoon Godfrey Kirumira, and fellow member Drake Lubega to lead their colleagues to her office this week without fail.
The landlords are expected to provide answers for the continuous complaints of unfair treatment levied against them by their tenants. The summons underscores the government’s growing concern over the economic standoff that has paralyzed business in several parts of the capital.
Sources close to the matter indicate that PM Nabbanja has taken a firm stance on the issue. She is demanding to know why the tycoons, who are Ugandan citizens themselves, persist in practices that deny their fellow citizens the right to enjoy and benefit from their own country. The message conveyed is one of national solidarity and economic justice.
Further reports suggest the Prime Minister has issued a stern warning, vowing that any landlord who fails to adequately explain the allegations of tenant mistreatment will face the full force of the law. This indicates a potential for legal repercussions for those found guilty of exploitative rental agreements or unfair eviction practices.
This direct involvement from the highest levels of government signals a potential turning point in the long-standing landlord-trader dispute. The business community and tenants across Kampala will be watching closely as the city’s most powerful property owners meet with the Prime Minister this week to answer for their actions.
