People with physical disabilities operating in Kikungiri, Kabale Municipality, have raised concern over their future after being instructed to vacate the area, warning that the move could push them back into street begging due to lack of alternatives.
The group, which relies on handcraft work for survival, says the eviction threatens decades of effort to build self-reliance and escape dependency on begging.
They explain that many of them have operated from the same location for over 30 years and do not have the financial capacity or physical ability to relocate and re-establish their businesses elsewhere.
About 25 persons with disabilities, including Elinathan Kanyaruju and Benson Nkwasibwe, have been working from Kikungiri, but now say they are uncertain about their next steps as municipal authorities have not provided an alternative site.
Kanyaruju said the eviction would leave them without any source of income, reversing years of efforts to remain independent.
“Being evicted from our current location will leave us without any source of income,” he said.
Mary Tindibasa, another affected member, appealed to government authorities to intervene, either by halting the eviction or providing a nearby, accessible alternative location suitable for persons with disabilities.
The group says the lack of consultation and relocation support places them at risk of returning to street begging, a situation they had worked hard to avoid.
However, Kabale Municipality Mayor Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha has maintained that those operating in the area were given sufficient notice to vacate, insisting that enforcement of trade order will continue.
“Our people should know that the trade order is soon continuing and soon resuming. Those operating in areas that were marked should leave. We gave them enough time to leave,” Byamugisha said.
The standoff highlights the tension between urban enforcement measures and the protection of vulnerable groups whose livelihoods depend on informal trading spaces.
Disability advocates have in past cases urged local governments to balance development plans with inclusive planning, especially when dealing with groups with limited mobility and access to alternative income sources.