Government resumes trade order operations after 4-day suspension

• Government has resumed trade order operations after a four-day suspension.

• Cabinet resolved that enforcement should continue but demolition of churches has been paused.

• Religious leaders asked for time to improve structures and secure approved building plans.

The government of Uganda is resuming the enforcement of trade order operations across the country just days after announcing a temporary suspension following protests from traders and religious leaders.

Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi told reporters on Tuesday that Cabinet, during its sitting on April 27, 2026, resolved that the implementation of the trade order should continue as earlier planned, but with adjustments regarding places of worship.

Magyezi said the earlier suspension followed concerns raised by leaders of born-again Pentecostal churches and the Federation of Uganda Traders Association.

“Cabinet at its sitting yesterday April 27, 2026 agreed and resolved that the implementation of the trade order should continue as earlier planned,” Magyezi said.

“This was because previously in Parliament we informed the House that we had suspended the trade order. That followed a meeting we had with the leadership of born-again Pentecostal churches in Uganda as well as the Federation of Uganda Traders Association.”

He said the religious leaders had raised concerns about the demolition of churches and requested more time to regularise their buildings.

“They asked for a little more time and we agreed that specifically, the demolition of churches be suspended to allow the churches time to improve their structures and get their building plans approved,” he added.

The trade order operation began in Kampala before spreading to other parts of the country. It targeted street vendors, roadside traders, structures in road reserves and buildings considered to be operating illegally.

Government said the aim was to restore order in trading centres and encourage use of public markets that had been built but remained underused.

However, the operation faced criticism after churches, mosques and roadside worship centres were caught up in the enforcement, with some structures demolished or marked for removal.

Last week, State Minister for Industry David Bahati told Parliament that the exercise had been suspended after complaints from the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, traders and Members of Parliament.

He admitted that churches and mosques were wrongly bundled together with vendors and apologised for offensive remarks made by some enforcement officers.

MPs including Kira Municipality’s Ibrahim Ssemujju and Erute South’s Jonathan Odur criticised the operation, saying it had destroyed livelihoods and was launched without enough consultation.

With Cabinet now restoring the operation, attention is expected to shift to how government balances urban order with protecting livelihoods and respecting religious institutions.