Shadows on the Tarmac:

In recent years, the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs alongside the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), launched a firm drive to clean up and reorganize the capital city.

 Under national urban development policies and the “Smart City” initiative, the authorities set out to restore trade order, improve public health and safety, clear blocked drainage channels, and ease the constant traffic congestion in the Central Business District. 

Under legal frameworks like the Kampala Capital City Act and local public order ordinances, government ministers issued firm directives ordering all informal traders and hawkers off public walkways, road reserves, and traffic islands.

The government’s primary stated goal was simple: public spaces belong to everyone. Walkways are meant for pedestrians, roads are built for vehicles, and drainage systems must remain open to stop severe city flooding during heavy rains. 

Additionally, official store owners who pay rent, local taxes, and trade licenses had long complained that street vendors were blocking their shop doors and undercutting their prices. 

To enforce compliance, joint security forces and KCCA enforcement teams conducted widespread operations across busy commercial zones like Luwuum Street, Ben Kiwanuka Street, Namirembe Road, and surrounding metropolitan hubs. 

They dismantled makeshift wooden stalls and instructed vendors to relocate to designated government-managed public markets.

While the city authority pointed out that thousands of free market stalls were available in places like Usafi, Busega, and Wandegeya, the reality on the ground was far more complicated. 

For thousands of ordinary Ugandans who depended on daily street sales to buy food, pay rent, and support their families, the sudden disappearance of street trading created a shockwave across the local economy.

The Chain Reaction – Zalwango Ramlah’s Story

When thousands of street vendors were removed from the pavements, the damage extended far beyond the men and women who stood directly on the asphalt. It immediately broke an unseen economic chain that supported many young, struggling Ugandans.

One of those deeply affected was Zalwango Ramlah, a young student at Makerere University. Ramlah was not a roadside hawker herself; she worked as a small-scale wholesale supplier. 

Her daily hustle involved supplying accessories like waist beads and other popular fashion items directly to the street vendors operating in central Kampala. 

The small profits she generated from these daily wholesale deliveries were her sole lifeline. They allowed her to pay her university tuition fees on time, buy study materials, and meet her basic living expenses without relying on external hand-outs.

Overnight, the government enforcement swept the streets clean. When her customer base of street vendors was scattered, Ramlah’s primary market vanished completely. She suddenly found herself with inventory she could not sell and no income to keep her in lecture halls.

Faced with the terrifying prospect of dropping out of university, Ramlah refused to fold. She quickly looked for an alternative way to survive. 

With physical streets blocked by enforcement officers, she turned her attention to the digital world. She began listing her products online, using mobile social media platforms to advertise her waist beads directly to buyers. 

To make her new business model work, she took on the work of door-to-door deliveries. As her digital customer base grew, Ramlah took a brave step forward: she used her savings to open up a physical retail shop back in her home village to increase her overall sales and create a stable base for her business.

Through pure determination, she adapted to a harsh economic shock and kept her education alive.

The Consumer – Adapting to Digital Deliveries

The sudden shift from informal street sales to digital trade changed not only how suppliers worked, but also how ordinary citizens bought everyday goods.

One of Ramlah’s dedicated customers shared how her own shopping habits changed after the street cleanup. 

Before the government directive, many city residents relied on the convenience of buying cheap items from street vendors on their way home from work. 

But as street displays disappeared, shoppers were forced to search for new options.

This customer first discovered Ramlah’s waist bead business online through social media promotions. What began as a simple attempt to support a local brand quickly turned into a far more convenient arrangement. 

Instead of navigating noisy, crowded city streets or searching through busy market corridors, the customer could now order exactly what she wanted from the comfort of her home or office and have it delivered directly to her doorstep.

For the consumer, this shift highlighted a positive side of the city’s transformation: online commerce could offer safe, reliable, and tailored services. 

However, it also proved that for any young entrepreneur to survive the loss of street trading, embracing technology and modern logistics was no longer optional—it was essential.

Local Leadership – The Policy and the Youth

To understand why such sweeping decisions were made, it is necessary to look at the perspective of local administrative leaders who handle community affairs daily.

The Chairperson of Nsangi Subcounty explained the government’s reasons for clearing the streets. From a local governance perspective, allowing unorganized trade on roadsides creates long-term problems for everyone.

 It leads to severe traffic gridlock, increases public safety risks, causes hygiene issues, and creates disorder that prevents the broader economy from growing systematically. The government’s goal was to bring informal workers into organized, legal spaces where they could be recognized and supported.

However, the Chairperson also recognized the severe pressure this policy placed on young people. Addressing the youth who lost their livelihoods during the cleanup, the leader offered practical advice on moving forward. 

Youth were urged to stop waiting for traditional street opportunities to return and instead embrace modern trade channels. 

The leader encouraged young Ugandans to form registered business associations, take advantage of government skilling programs, and explore digital marketplaces where overhead costs are lower and operations are safe from eviction.

Systemic Gaps – The LC5 Chairperson’s View

While local leaders explained the official goals, higher-level district administration acknowledged that the rollout was far from perfect. The LC5 Chairperson pointed out several administrative blind spots and systemic gaps that made the transition painful for ordinary citizens.

According to the LC5 Chairperson, one major flaw in the strategy was the speed and manner of the execution. While the government provided alternative spaces in public markets, many of these spaces were located far from high foot-traffic areas, making it hard for displaced vendors to find customers quickly. Furthermore, complex bureaucratic registration processes meant that poorer vendors without proper documentation struggled to access available stalls right away.

The LC5 Chairperson noted that when government policies move faster than the social safety nets designed to support vulnerable people, poor citizens fall through the cracks. To fix this, the leader advised the affected populace to stay organized, register their businesses formally with local authorities, and actively demand that local councils fulfill their promises of providing well-equipped, accessible, and fair market workspaces.

Expert Analysis – What Was Done vs. What Should Have Been Done

To gain a complete view of this public accountability story, economic and urban planning experts offer a balanced evaluation of the government’s policy, detailing how the transition worked and how it could have been handled better.

Experts point out that the official process for a displaced vendor to get a space in a government market involves several steps. A vendor must register with the KCCA Market Development office, present standard identification documents like an LC1 recommendation letter and a National ID, and apply for verified vacant stalls in designated markets. While the government made these stalls free of rent charges initially to encourage relocation, many vendors still struggled with high operational costs and low customer turnouts in poorly designed markets.

Experts argue that while the government’s overall vision of an organized, clean city is good for long-term development, the execution relied too heavily on force rather than a gradual economic transition.

Instead of sudden evictions, the government could have adopted more supportive solutions:
1. Phased Relocation Programs: Giving vendors longer, staged transition periods to move their operations without losing all their income overnight.
2. Dedicated Evening Street Markets: Designating specific roads to be closed to vehicles during controlled evening hours, allowing vendors to sell legally under proper light and security.
3. Targeted Micro-Grants and Digital Training: Providing low-interest loans or grants along with basic digital skilling to help small suppliers shift smoothly into formal or online commerce.

Balancing City Order with Human Dignity

The story of Kampala’s street cleanup shows the ongoing tension between urban development and social welfare. As the city grows, government authorities must balance the need for clean, safe, and organized public infrastructure with the reality that informal trade keeps millions of people fed.

Zalwango Ramlah’s journey from a stranded supplier to an online business owner demonstrates the powerful resilience of Ugandan youth. However, public accountability demands that city planning must not rely solely on the toughness of its people to survive economic shocks. True urban progress is not just measured by empty pavements and quiet streets; it is measured by a government’s ability to build a modern city where every citizen has a clear, fair, and dignified way to make a living.