Thanks for the votes; now let me do my work – Minister Minsa Kabanda to banned vendors

Hon Minsa Kabanda, the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs and Member of Parliament-elect for Kampala Central Division, has defended her recent decision to ban street vendors, hawkers, unlicensed taxi drivers and boda boda riders operating outside designated spaces, insisting that the move is necessary to restore order in the city.

The ban, announced last week, left many of her supporters — particularly female street vendors who dominantly voted for her in the parliamentary elections — feeling betrayed and uncertain about their livelihoods. 

However, the minister maintained that the decision is not political but administrative, aimed at improving the functionality, safety and cleanliness of Kampala.

Speaking during a televised interview on Monday morning, Kabanda thanked her supporters for voting for her and President Yoweri Museveni but urged critics to allow her to carry out her mandate. 

She said downtown Kampala had become dangerously congested, with vendors occupying walkways, roads and drainage channels, making movement almost impossible.

“You are our people and we love you. I thank you for voting for me and my President Yoweri Museveni, but now you have to let us do our work,” she said. 

Kabanda argued that unchecked street vending was suffocating shop owners who pay high rents, while trash and poor sanitation were turning the city into a health risk.

Under the directive, vendors and informal transport operators have been given a two-week grace period to vacate unauthorised spaces. 

After the deadline, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) will begin strict enforcement, including arrests and legal charges. Officials have warned that there will be zero tolerance for roadside trading without licences or allocated areas.

Kabanda warned that enforcement would be uncompromising, even targeting law enforcement officers who connive with vendors to return them to the streets.

The minister framed the ban as a long-term public interest measure, citing congestion, environmental degradation and public health threats. She warned that another major virus outbreak under current conditions would be disastrous.

“I love the people of Kampala and what I am doing is for your own benefit,” she said, calling on residents to separate politics from governance and support efforts to bring order to the capital.