KAMPALA – Vendors in Kampala are crying out in desperation as a triple nightmare, the deadly Ebola outbreak, the crushing Trade Order enforcement, and the impossible burden of school fees, hits their livelihoods harder than ever.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The development follows the just-concluded scientific Martyrs Day commemorations, which have left thousands of vendors, hawkers, and parents counting devastating losses to their only source of survival.
The government scaled down this year’s Martyrs Day celebrations due to Ebola, leaving few pilgrims and open roads. But for thousands of street vendors and small-scale earners who depend on the pilgrimage to survive, the low turnout was a disaster.
Maria Namugenyi, who sells religious items such as olive oil, key holders, rosaries, and prayer books, stated that she was stopped from displaying her goods inside the shrine compound. Left with no customers, she said the restrictions hurt her business badly.
Allen Kyatuhire confirmed the same fate, as her mobile money business made far less money than last year. Meanwhile, Sharon Natukunda, who sells pork at Nalongo Pork City, saw her sales drop from over 500 kilograms to less than 50 kilograms.
Natukunda admitted that she is even struggling to sell 50 kilograms, a devastating fall that shows how the low turnout of pilgrims has crushed small businesses that depend entirely on Martyrs Day.
“My pork sales went from over 500 kilograms to less than 50 kilograms. Now I cannot even sell 50 kilograms. This big drop shows how the low number of pilgrims has destroyed small businesses like mine that depend completely on Martyrs Day,” said Sharon.
Earlier this year, the government rolled out the enforcement of the Trade Order, which pushed many street vendors and hawkers off the streets, destroyed their small stalls, and left many with nothing.
The enforcement came just a few months after this year’s general elections, with the new political team starting work in May. Prices of goods and services shot up, and more money in circulation pushed inflation even higher.
Speaking on the situation, Mukono Municipality MP Betty Namboozze Bakireke explained that the enforcement of the Trade Order came just a few months after the general elections, thus creating a double nightmare for many people’s livelihoods.
The legislator added that for thousands of street vendors and hawkers who lost their goods and stalls, the economic hardship arrived just as children returned to school for the second term, leaving parents unable to pay school fees.
“The Trade Order enforcement came on the heels of a heated election year, and now our children are back in school for the second term. Our people have lost their goods, their stalls, and their hope. This is not just a double nightmare, it is a collapse of the livelihoods that kept families fed and children in class,” MP Namboozze stated.
Under Christian tradition, Uganda marks Martyrs Day to remember the 45 Christians who were killed for refusing to give up their faith. It is a very important day in the country, but this year, for many low-income earners, the day brought more pain than profit.
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