Joan Nabatanzi, a parliamentary candidate for the Wakiso woman MP seat, has raised concern over what she described as heavy taxation on businesses across Wakiso, saying it has discouraged traders from expanding their enterprises.
Nabatanzi made the remarks today during a campaign rally held at Garuga grounds in Entebbe municipality. She was accompanied by the Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, Kira municipality mayor Julius Mutebi Ssalongo, the Nansana municipality PFF flagbearer Harold Kaija, and other leaders.
“I thank all our supporters for standing with us wherever we go to listen to your concerns and to share our plans for addressing these challenges,” Nabatanzi said.
“I condemn the actions of district and municipal authorities who continue to levy heavy taxes on our traders and vendors.”
She said residents of Entebbe, Nansana, and Kira municipalities, as well as other urban areas in Wakiso district, were facing a heavy tax burden affecting businesses in markets, retail shops, pharmacies, and salons.
Nabatanzi, who has built a profile around campaigning against what she calls unfair taxation, said many traders were on the brink of collapse after using their working capital to pay what she described as exorbitant taxes, leaving them unable to expand or even sustain their businesses.
During her campaign trail, she also visited Kasenyi, Kigungu, and nearby areas, where she said she observed high levels of poverty.
She attributed some of the hardship to limited access to public sanitation, the inability of families to keep children in school, and the impact of HIV/AIDS, which she said had left many households headed by single mothers and widows.
Residents working on the islands raised concerns about women’s savings and cooperative societies that are no longer operational due to a lack of funding. They also asked leaders to address youth unemployment, saying many young people who had managed to go to school were now idle. Others, they said, were still at home because of the absence of secondary schools and limited access to public resources.
In areas such as Bweyogerere, Gombe, Nansana municipality, Busiro North, and Masulita, residents called for the immediate release of Dr Kizza Besigye and other opposition political prisoners.
Responding to the issues raised, Nabatanzi urged residents to support her candidacy and that of PFF flagbearers, saying she would be better placed to lobby for increased funding to the health sector. She also proposed a reduction in salaries for members of parliament, arguing that the savings could be redirected to improve the welfare of Ugandans.
She promised to promote vocational training for young people, with a focus on practical skills such as beauty services, construction, painting, motor vehicle repair, and catering.
Nabatanzi, who previously worked with the enforcement and revenue collection unit of the Kira division, said high property taxes dominated discussions wherever she campaigned. She said her stance against excessive taxation had earned her the nickname “Maama Musolo” among residents.
