Vendors operating at Zigoti Market in Mityana District have appealed to the government to urgently intervene and help them secure an alternative working space after being ordered to vacate their current location, which has been declared part of the road reserve along the Mityana–Mubende highway.
According to the traders, the directive from the Ministry of Works and Transport has left them in panic, as many have nowhere else to operate from.
They say they received a notice warning them to vacate the area immediately to pave way for ongoing road maintenance and expansion works.
“We are not against development,”Nambooze Efrance noted."one of the affected vendors. “All we ask is for government to provide us with another place where we can continue working. This market is our only source of income.”
The traders accuse their local leaders of neglecting them, saying they have remained silent about their plight despite repeated appeals for support.
“Our leaders only remember us during campaign seasons,” Nassaka Amiina a trader in Zigoti market noted. “But when we face problems like this, no one comes to our aid. In the next election, we shall think twice about voting for anyone who hasn’t stood with us.”
The vendors say the eviction will not only affect their livelihoods but also disrupt trade within Zigoti Town, which relies heavily on roadside businesses for daily economic activity.
They are now calling on the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and the Mityana District leadership to coordinate with the Works Ministry to identify a suitable relocation site that will allow them to continue earning a living without interfering with road projects.
Local authorities have yet to issue an official response, but community members fear that without swift action, the eviction could worsen unemployment and poverty among small-scale traders in the area.
