SIMPSON M
The chairperson of the business community in Rukungiri, Mr. Chrysostom Rwakaana, has challenged the Rukungiri Municipal Council over the enforcement of the trade order in Rukungiri Municipality scheduled to happen on 14th April 2026.
Mr. Rwakaana says that following the news that was aired on 1st April 2026 alerting Rukungiri municipal traders who are working in temporary structures, kiosks, containers, and roadside vendors to vacate within a period of 14 days left them worried and confused because the council did not call any meeting with traders to make them understand how this trade order will work.
Mr. Chrysostom added that all traders whom they are saying should leave got those temporary spaces from the council, and so they want to know if there are plans on where they will be allocated after being evicted.
Additionally, Rwakaana said that the business community emphasizes small-scale traders as part of Uganda’s revenue by paying taxes, but the council is now chasing them as if they are not of any importance.
A number of traders have been operating on loans, including PDM, but are now going back to zero because of poor planning and lack of engagement with traders in meetings to find favorable solutions.
Rwakaana added that the Rukungiri Municipal Council has always done things without engaging traders, yet certain decisions affect them.
He said issues including garbage collection are now a big problem in Rukungiri, as traders are paying double, which does not favor them, yet they already pay taxes.
Finally, he appealed to the Rukungiri Municipal Council to call a meeting with traders before passing a directive of removing and destroying people’s shops.
In response, the Rukungiri Municipality Town Clerk, Mr. Isaiah Tumwesigye, noted that they are still in the starting process, as they will first conduct a survey around the town, note down all people and businesses that will be affected, and meet them to explain the way forward.
He said that they will first meet people who deal in timber on Friday, 10th April, as they schedule meetings with others to ensure that everyone is aware of what will happen, rather than enforcing it without their knowledge.
He added that after all that, they will also have a radio program to inform those who may have missed the meetings so that this trade order is enforced without affecting people who have no knowledge about it.
