Traders operating in various buildings in Kampala have called on President Museveni to personally intervene in their longstanding disputes with their landlords, whom they accuse of irregularly hiking rent, thus affecting their businesses.
The appeal follows a meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala, which brought together commercial landlords and traders to discuss rising rents and business operating costs.
While the meeting was intended to bridge differences, traders say comments made by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and the outcomes have left them disillusioned.
According to the traders, Nabbanja described some of the trader leaders as “brokers”, a remark they found demeaning and dismissive of their role in Uganda’s economy.
These traders have been among the most vocal critics of what they see as exploitative practices by some property owners in Kampala.
In the meeting, the traders raised several persistent challenges that they say hinder their ability to operate profitably. These include high electricity charges, recurrent and steep rent increases, and what they describe as intolerant and inconsiderate behaviour by landlords.
They accused property owners such as Tom Kitandwe of Galiraya Arcade, Grand Corner, and Gazaland, as well as Drake Lubega, of repeated rent hikes and failing to engage constructively with them.
Edward Ntale, chairperson of the Uganda Traders City Association (UTCA), criticised Nabbanja for downplaying the issues raised by the traders.
“The traders contribute significantly to the economy, even more than some landlords. Nabbanja should focus on her role and stop siding with landlords,” Ntale said,
He called on President Museveni to “rescue traders” by addressing their concerns.
“Nabbanja must apologise to traders for what she said. That was disrespectful and undermines our work,” he said.
In the meeting, it was revealed that several traders had reportedly been served eviction notices by landlords for publicly criticising rent increases and electricity costs.
Those told to vacate properties are: Justine Kyankunda, Jack Mukasa, Laisi Bamulongo, Fred Kwikiriza, and Muhammed Mukibi.
The meeting was attended by some of the prominent landlords in Kampala who defended their practices as compliant with existing laws.
They emphasised that rent increases and tenancy matters were governed by the Landlord and Tenant Act 2022, and pledged to formalise rental agreements.
However, some of the traders were not convinced by this response and said the law has been implemented selectively by the landlords.
