news 16 March 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)

Fort Portal City Launches 5-Day Eviction of Roadside Vendors Starting Monday

Authorities in Fort Portal City have outlined a five-day plan beginning March 16 to clear street vendors, kiosks, and illegal structures from unauthorized spots, relocating them to designated markets. Vendors are pleading for more preparation time, adequate relocation spaces, and dialogue to avoid abrupt displacement. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/eviction-of-roadside-vendors-in-fort-portal-city-to-last-5-days-5392344

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Fort Portal City officials have announced a structured five-day eviction drive targeting roadside vendors, kiosks, and unauthorized structures, kicking off on Monday, March 16, 2026. This follows a March 5 trade order by City Clerk Ambrose Ocen, mandating clearance by March 15.

Central Division City Clerk Didas Muhanguzi confirmed that enforcement teams, including police, market masters, engineers, and town agents, will sweep key areas in the central business district. The operation aims to restore order and boost revenue through better organization.

Detailed Eviction Schedule:

Day 1 (March 16): Mpanga Market, Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, and Kampala Road.
Day 2 (March 17): Stretch to Mayor’s Garden near River Mpanga.
Day 3 (March 18): Bwamba Road, Mugunu, Kisenyi, and Kasese Road.
Day 4 (March 19): Rwengoma, Mugunu, and Kahungabunyonyi.
Day 5 (March 20): Kabudaire Market area.

Vendors from hospitals and markets will shift to Mpanga Market, taxis to Nyakaseke or Mpanga, and food sellers to Kibogo Road spaces. Clothing traders head to Kabudaire Market, with others urged to suburban spots if space runs short. Even licensed kiosks in wrong locations face removal, and shop displays blocking walkways must go indoors.

Hardware dealers can only offload at night to ease traffic, per Deputy Mayor Kenneth Kaliba. Officials promise ongoing monitoring to prevent returns.

Traders, via the Fort Portal Tourism City Traders Forum chairperson Johnson Mwanguhya Kadama, demand talks first, citing insufficient relocation space for low-income earners who’ve paid revenue. A committee plans a Monday meeting, with threats of legal action and calls for infrastructure upgrades like drainage.

Maize vendor Gloria Ahumuza along Bwamba Road lamented her compliance efforts, including health tests and payments, questioning survival without affordable alternatives amid loan pressures.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)