Kamuli, Uganda: Traders in Kamuli have demanded President Yoweri Museveni’s intervention against what they described as crippling high taxes, unregulated levies, and power exploitation, warning that their businesses are struggling under the burden.
The appeal was made on Tuesday, September 09, during the Meet, Listen, and Make Solutions initiative organized by the Kamuli Traders Association, where members from the industrial area, market vendors, transporters, and the wider business community raised concerns.
Mubarak Isabirye, the Chairperson of Kamuli Traders Association, said traders and businessmen remain a formidable campaign force that interacts with every voter daily. He assured Museveni of their readiness to mobilize support for the government but urged action on unfulfilled promises.
“Traders are ready, steady, and set to protect our businesses by rallying behind President Museveni. But we ask government to remember its pledges on relocating transport to the Lorry Park, boosting the Traders SACCO, and reducing power tariffs,” Isabirye said.
Abbey Tigawalana, Chairperson of Industrial Area Milkers, accused Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UECDL) of exploitation and called for the provision of prepaid meters and a stable transformer to meet rising power demands.
“We are suffering penalties and exploitation because of the reluctance to provide prepaid meters for our machines,” Tigawalana said.
Transporters, led by Saadi Alibawa, complained of constant deductions at multiple roadblocks, citing the Nagalama checkpoint as the most draining. He said these costs were eating into their earnings that would otherwise support their families.
At Kamuli Central Market, veteran vendor Rehema Nalongo, widely known as Mama Matooke, appealed for safe trading spaces and gender-friendly washrooms for women, alongside facilities for children. She also requested government support with transport for women vendors who move to rural markets daily in unsafe conditions.
“Women are catching up with family economic liberation, but the hustle is rough. We request transport and economic boosts to grow our businesses and support our children,” Nalongo said.
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