TOP NATIONAL STORY: TRADERS STORM BUGANDA ROAD COURT DEMANDING RELEASE OF JAILED COLLEAGUES
Kampala Business Tensions Rise Over Taxes, Rent, and URA System
KAMPALA, UGANDA — Tensions ran high in the capital on Wednesday as a group of angry Kampala city traders stormed Buganda Road Court, demanding the immediate release of 17 colleagues who were arrested during a protest a day earlier.
The traders, many affiliated with the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA), had taken to the streets to protest a host of grievances affecting the business community — including high taxes on garments, skyrocketing arcade rent, the Uganda Revenue Authority’s (URA) EFRIS e-invoicing system, and the licensing of foreign traders operating in local markets.
COURT DRAMA UNFOLDS
The 17 arrested traders appeared before Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankye, charged with common nuisance for allegedly causing public inconvenience during their protest procession.
Sixteen of them were granted non-cash bail of Shs 200,000 each, while each surety — fellow traders from the community — signed a Shs 500,000 non-cash bond to ensure the accused would return to court for trial on October 15, 2025.
However, one trader, Christopher Okecho, was remanded to Luzira Prison due to a language barrier. The court could not proceed without a Japhadola interpreter, delaying his release.
FROM MEETING TO COURTROOM CHAOS
The dramatic scenes at the court followed the abrupt collapse of a meeting between the traders and Prime Minister Robinah Nabanjja at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
According to sources, the meeting turned tense after government officials informed traders that their arrested colleagues were accused of violent conduct, including pelting stones at police officers during Tuesday’s protest.
Outraged by the allegation and unwilling to continue discussions without their colleagues, the traders stormed out of the meeting and headed straight to Buganda Road Court, where they gathered in large numbers to demand justice.
TRADERS STAND FIRM
Speaking after the release of the 16 traders, KACITA chairperson Issa Sekitto confirmed that the group is now willing to resume talks with the Prime Minister — but only after their concerns are taken seriously.
“Our position has always been clear,” Sekitto said. “We’re not against regulation, but we want fairness. The issues of excessive taxation, rent hikes, and EFRIS are strangling our businesses. Government must act.”
He emphasized that any future engagements with the government must include concrete proposals to address their complaints — not threats or arrests.
A GROWING CRISIS
This week’s events reflect deepening frustration among Kampala’s business community, who have for months voiced concerns over the URA’s EFRIS system, which they say is both technically complex and financially punitive for small traders.
The presence of foreign business operators — particularly in the retail sector — has also stirred unrest, with local traders accusing the government of licensing competitors who undercut them in price and evade local compliance burdens.
As the 2026 elections loom closer, pressure is mounting on the government to respond decisively to the concerns of the city’s commercial engine.
With the next meeting between the traders and Prime Minister Nabanjja expected soon, all eyes will be on whether dialogue can replace confrontation — or whether this week’s court protest was only the beginning.
This is a developing story.
