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Parliament has directed the Minister for Kampala Beti Olive Namisango Kamya to explain why police and enforcement officers have denied vendors access to gazetted roads to sell their merchandise as approved by councilors of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga issued the directive at Wednesday’s parliament session after a “matter of national importance” was raised on the floor by Rubaga North MP Moses Kasibante.
Last month, KCCA councilors gazetted city roads to enable street vendors operate during evening hours. The gazetted roads include Nakivubo Mews, Nakivubo Road, Allen Road and Kafumbe Mukasa Road.
However, Kasibante told parliament that KCCA and police are stopping the vendors from using the gazetted roads on orders from Minister Beti Kamya.
He charged that minister Beti Kamya should explain to parliament why she is violating the KCCA resolution which gave access to these roads to vendors for particular days and time to sell their goods as new places are identified for them.
He also demanded that the Kampala minister explain whether vending has become a crime in the capital city.
Minister Kasolo assures Street Vendors
Meanwhile, State Minister for Microfinance Kyeyune Haruna Kasolo revealed plans to talk to all municipality mayors in the five divisions of Kampala to ensure that they gazette places for street vendors to operate their businesses.
Kasolo said this while launching the Kampala Urban Women Poverty eradication Sacco in Kampala, Old Taxi park. Kasolo said the move is part of efforts to implement a presidential directive issued to municipality mayors during a recent meeting at State House Entebbe on the issue of street vendors to restore sanity in the city.
Kasolo says despite the directive and the earlier endorsement of a proposal by KCCA councilors to gazette designated areas for street vendors, most divisions have not yet complied.
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editor@independent.co.ug
