news 15 August 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Informal Traders Appeal to Museveni, Nabbanja for Bailout Amid Evictions
Hundreds of informal traders, facing significant financial hardship due to recent evictions, have petitioned President Museveni and Prime Minister Nabbanja for government assistance to relocate and restock their businesses. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/informal-traders-petition-museveni-nabbanja-for-bailout-over-trade-order-evictions-5559358
The Platform for Informal Workers has formally petitioned President Yoweri Museveni and Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, imploring the government for a financial bailout. This plea comes in the wake of intensified efforts to implement a trade order that has led to the eviction of numerous informal traders from their usual selling spaces.
The petition, bearing the signatures of over 300 affected traders, was officially submitted to State House, Entebbe, and the Office of the Prime Minister on August 11. Traders express that the enforcement of the trade order has left many without places to sell their goods, resulting in substantial losses, spoilage, and a direct threat to the daily earnings that sustain their families.
At a press conference in Kampala, the Platform’s chairperson, Joseph Mayambala, emphasized that the traders are seeking a collaborative approach with the government. “We are not here to fight the government. We are citizens who contribute to the economy. Give us support to relocate, restock and adjust so that we can continue feeding our families and contributing to Uganda’s economy,” Mayambala stated.
Traders highlighted that promised alternative selling spaces have yet to materialize, exacerbating their struggles. Ssemanda Brian, who represents informal traders in Kampala’s Central Business District, reported that many evicted vendors have found it impossible to survive without the promised relocation sites. “None of the traders who were evicted from the streets has been able to survive. The government told us that spaces had been provided for us to relocate, but we have never seen those spaces,” Ssemanda conveyed.
The informal workers’ platform is specifically requesting financial relief to aid these traders in relocating, acquiring new stock, and rebuilding their livelihoods, which have been severely disrupted since the evictions began on February 19, 2026.