Fort Portal authorities on Monday began a month-long operation to evict illegal vendors and dismantle unauthorized roadside businesses in a move aimed at restoring order and improving the image of the tourism city.
The citywide enforcement exercise targets traders operating along public roads, streets and other undesignated spaces, with officials directing them to relocate to approved markets and trading areas.
Didas Muhanguzi, the Town Clerk for Central Division, said the operation was necessary to decongest the city and support licensed traders who have long complained about unfair competition and limited space to operate.
“This exercise of combing out illegal vendors and structures will benefit the legal traders who have raised concerns about congestion and their inability to sell goods effectively,” Muhanguzi said. “We need to put our city in order for everyone operating in it and for visitors to enjoy.”
The crackdown targets a range of informal activities including street vending, mobile money kiosks and makeshift carpentry workshops that have sprung up along busy streets.
Muhanguzi noted that the city had issued prior warnings, giving vendors a two-week ultimatum to voluntarily remove their structures.
“Many ignored the directive,” he said. “We are now removing street vendors and illegal workshops and loading their items onto trucks for storage at the city council. Anyone who wishes to reclaim their property will have to pay fines as well as transport and execution costs.”
City enforcement officer John Baptist Businge said the operation began in Bazar and Rwengoma wards and will gradually extend to all wards in Central and North divisions.
“Our goal is to clean the city and restore order and sanity in this tourism hub,” Businge said.
Authorities have directed traders to relocate to designated markets including Kabundaire and Mpanga. Vendors operating along Voice of Tooro have been asked to move to a designated space along Kiboga Road, while taxi operators along Kasese and Bundibugyo roads are being redirected to Nyakaseke Taxi Park. Taxis serving Kamwenge and Kampala routes will operate from the Mpanga Struggle area.
The operation is being conducted jointly by city enforcement teams, police and members of the Kanyama Boys local enforcement group.
However, the exercise has sparked concern among some vendors who say the evictions threaten their livelihoods.
Katusiime Molly, a single mother of five who sells matooke near Fuelex, said the timing of the crackdown could have severe consequences for struggling families.
“This operation comes at a time when I need money for my children’s school fees and to repay loans,” she said. “It will severely affect my family’s livelihood.”
Fort Portal’s enforcement drive follows similar operations in other Ugandan cities as authorities attempt to regulate street trade and enforce urban planning laws.
City officials say the exercise is grounded in provisions of the Physical Planning Act and the Local Government Act, which require businesses to operate within approved trading zones and prohibit the construction of unauthorized roadside structures.
Authorities maintain that the clean-up will ultimately create a safer, more organized city environment for residents, traders and tourists visiting Fort Portal.