The Ministry of Local Government has directed local authorities to restore trade order in municipalities and cities including Entebbe.
The Ministry of Local Government has directed all chief administrative officers and town clerks across the country to restore trade order within their respective local governments.
In a letter signed 10th, March, 2026, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, emphasized that the directive is grounded in the Trade (Licensing) Act, Cap 101.
The law requires any person selling goods or services to possess a valid trading license and to operate only from designated trading areas.
According to the ministry, the trade order framework is intended to organize commerce, ensure public safety, and enforce licensing compliance within local governments.
The letter notes that in recent years there has been a significant influx of people into urban areas in search of employment and many of these individuals lack the qualifications required for formal employment and do not have sufficient capital to start formal businesses.
As a result, many have turned to illegal street vending and hawking as a means of survival and some have also settled in slums, contributing to the growth of unplanned settlements, reads letter.
The ministry further observed that despite the existence of laws and regulations governing development control and trade order, local governments continue to experience increasing unplanned developments that are becoming difficult to control.
Public spaces in many towns have increasingly been taken over as trading areas, affecting movement and accessibility, says letter
Trading activities are now commonly taking place along streets, pavements, walkways, verandas, backstreets, and corridors.
The ministry warned that disorganized trading negatively affects businesses, particularly formal traders who operate in designated places such as shops and markets.
To address the situation, the ministry issued several guidelines for local governments to implement:
- Remove all campaign posters displayed in local government areas.
- Ensure that market places are cleaned after every market day and every evening in the case of daily markets.
- Strengthen law enforcement to maintain law and order.
- Enforce existing laws, policies, and guidelines related to trade and development.
- Conduct public education and awareness programs for communities.
- Improve trading environments by cleaning trading spaces, painting buildings, paving frontages, installing security lighting, and providing dustbins.
- Streamline public transport operations.
- Develop and implement trade order strategies for each local government.
The ministry has advised local government leaders to take immediate action to restore order in urban trading areas and ensure that business operations comply with existing laws and regulations.
Meanwhile the government guidelines have sparked a bitter row with trader running to different office to be given more time to remove all illegal structures including kiosks from the streets by next week.
The Entebbe Municipal Town clerk, Mugisha Emmanuel Gacharo is yet to come with an official statement over the government guidelines and development following a public announcement to evict all illegal structures and kiosks from the streets or town corridors.
In 2009, former Mayor Stephen Kabuye banned kiosks and containers that were mushrooming on the streets and traders protested while in 2011, also former Mayor Vincent Kayanja Depaul made a similar attempt to ban containers and angry traders resisted the mayor’s move.
The traders have been one week to remove all illegal structures,containers and ugly kiosks from the streets in Entebbe municipality.(Be Warned)
