Kampala Capital City Authority Executive Director Jennifer Musisi has lashed out at city politicians who are protesting the eviction of vendors from the streets.
Without mentioning names, Musisi said on Monday that some leaders have been in power for two terms but never took notice of the disorganization in the city.
Musisi says the eviction is in the interest of the city.
Musisi who has been in office for less than four months says she is facing opposition from leaders who have seen the city going to waste. She wondered why they did not protest against the sale of the city’s green spaces and illegal contracts she is currently trying to rectify.
//Cue in: Some of these political leaders…”
Cue out:…in the first place.”//
Musisi noted that there are people masquerading as vendors recruited by people who want to fail the programme claiming there are no spaces in the markets. She says the main problem is the lack of identification and total number or vendors, but government will do its best to find spaces.
Some of the political leaders who have been rallying behind the vendors include Central Woman MP Nabilah Naggayi, Kawempe Division Mayor Mubarak Munyagwa, Lord Mayor Lukwago Elias and Kawempe North MP Latif Sebagala.
Munyagwa says the powers of restoring order are vested in the Lord Mayor and not Musisi who acted ambiguously.
He warned that if the vendors are not returned to the streets, there will be chaos.
//Cue in: The Executive Director acted…”
Cue out:… the batembeyi from the streets.”//
Nabilah says the impromptu methods used to evict the vendors tantamount to abuse of human rights and loss of property which must be condemned.
She questioned whether police and KCCA have a mechanism to compensate the vendors. Nabilah says government did not give Parliament a plan on how the vendors are to be relocated and how they will be facilitated in their new areas of businesses.
//Cue in: The impromptu methods…”
Cue out:…did not give us the plan.”//
Musisi notes that the trade order Act has been in place for many years yet the same leaders did not implement it and let the vendors overtake the city. She calls on them to provide solutions and not worsen the already bad situation.
Musisi also reveals that they have also issued 200 notices to building owners who have converted parking spaces into shops.
A KCCA team is going round making assessments and compelling the owners to reconvert or else the authority will take charge. So far KCCA has demolished 22 structures that lack proper construction plans.
###
