Kampala traders affected by flooding in the city centre have asked the government to suspend plans to compensate them until concerns over missing names, disputed registration figures and suspected ghost beneficiaries are addressed.
The traders, operating under the Uganda National Traders Association (UNATA) Kampala and the Nakivubo Agro Dealers Association, say genuine business owners who lost property worth millions of shillings have been left off the proposed list of beneficiaries.
Led by Godfrey Katongole, the president of UNATA, the traders have petitioned the Office of the Prime Minister, asking the government to review the lists submitted by different groups before releasing the money.
Katongole said more than 100 traders affiliated with the associations had been left out of the list despite submitting their details to the relevant authorities.
“Our members operate in Ssekaziga Mall, Juba Mall, French Plaza, Totalla Mall and other business centres, but many of them were not registered among the affected traders,” Katongole said.
He argued that releasing the funds before resolving the discrepancies would deny genuine victims assistance while allowing ineligible people to benefit.
Katongole called on the Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi, to intervene and help establish the actual number of traders affected by the floods and identify any ineligible beneficiaries.
The traders have given the government a one-week ultimatum to publish what they consider an accurate list of those who qualify for compensation.
Their demand comes as the government prepares to provide Shs20 billion to traders whose businesses and property were affected by flooding in Kampala’s city centre.
Joy Kato Mayanja, the chairperson of the Nakivubo Agro Dealers Association, also questioned the figures submitted by some traders’ groups.
Mayanja said his association’s list contained only 44 registered traders affected by the floods in Container Village, raising questions about the much higher figures presented by other groups.
“I am surprised to hear that some groups submitted lists of more than 5,000 traders to the Office of the Prime Minister, while others submitted more than 2,000,” Mayanja said.
He urged the authorities to scrutinise all the submitted lists and verify the identities of the traders before approving payments.
Mayanja alleged that some lists contained ghost beneficiaries and claimed that some traders had registered their own children as business owners to secure compensation.
The allegations have raised concerns among the affected traders about whether the proposed compensation will reach those who genuinely lost merchandise, equipment and other business property during the floods.
Mayanja said his association had submitted its list to the Office of the Prime Minister on March 26, 2026, but its members were surprised to find that their names were missing from the subsequently presented list.
The affected traders say the omissions have left them uncertain about whether they will receive any support, despite suffering substantial financial losses.
They want the government to establish a single, verified register that identifies genuine flood victims, removes ineligible entries and gives excluded traders an opportunity to present evidence of their losses.
The institutions involved include Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the Office of the Prime Minister and the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), alongside traders’ associations that submitted their own lists.
The differing figures have complicated efforts to establish the number of eligible beneficiaries and determine how the Shs20 billion should be distributed.
The traders argue that the government should resolve the discrepancies before proceeding with payments to avoid disputes and ensure that public funds reach the intended beneficiaries.
