Food vendors in Mbarara municipality are protesting their eviction from the streets. More than 100 street food vendors were evicted last week by Mbarara Municipality following an outbreak of Ebola in Kibaale district. The food vendors were operating along the busy Mbaguta street, Bananuka drive, High street, Markansigh street and Ndahendekere road.
They were majorly vending roasted meat, maize, Gonja, Cassava, chips, Chapati and cooked food. However, since their eviction last week the food vendors have been playing hide and seek with law enforcement officers deployed to prevent them from returning to the streets. Wilson Papa Wemba, a chapatti vendor who has been operating along Bananuka drive says that he is not ready to abandon his business since it is his only source of survival.
He says that he will continue engaging the municipal authorities until they give up on their eviction. Carol Ahimbisibwe, another food vendor faults the council for running after them without gazetting a place for them to operate from. She explains that the majority of town dwellers prefer to buy from them because they offer they offer fair rates compared to established hotels and restaurants. Ahimbisimbwe has vowed to mobilize other vendors to protest the forceful eviction by council.
But Paul Omoko, the town clerk Mbarara Municipality says that the ban on the sale of food stuffs along the streets has been long overdue since the vendors had become a menace. He explains vending food on the streets puts the lives of many town dwellers at risk of catching diseases such as cholera.
//Cue in: “people who were vending food….
Cue out…then you start solving them.//
The eviction of the food vendors comes, when Mbarara municipality is positioning itself for elevation to a city status.Wilson Tumwine, the mayor Mbarara Municipality has repeatedly promised to reorganize the fast growing town in preparation for its elevation to a city.
