Mbarara City South Member of Parliament, Mwine Mpaka, has voiced strong opposition to the method of eviction being employed.
Speaking to the press ahead of a consultative meeting with affected vendors planned for Sunday, Mpaka condemned the lack of engagement between the city council and the urban poor.
"Much as development comes with inconvenience, the vendors ought to have been engaged first in a meeting so that there is harmony," Mpaka said.
While affirming his support for a clean and organized city, the MP argued that the “ambush” style of demolition is counterproductive.
He said many of those being evicted are low-income earners who depend on small kiosks to pay school fees and sustain their families.
The upcoming meeting, he noted, aims to reconcile the council’s urban planning goals with the vendors’ need for survival.
On the streets of Mbaguta and High Street, where numerous kiosks were reduced to rubble, vendors expressed feelings of betrayal. Several accused their elected leaders of silence while their properties were destroyed.
"We only see them during elections when they need our votes. Now that our stalls are being broken and our merchandise confiscated, most of them are nowhere to be found," said one vendor who preferred anonymity.
Adding his voice to the outcry, Bright Muhumuza, National Unity Platform (NUP) regional coordinator and former candidate for the Mbarara City South parliamentary seat, expressed concern over the city’s political direction.
"I am concerned for who the city dwellers vote for. Those they elect are detached from the reality of their struggles," Muhumuza said. "The current crisis is a symptom of a leadership gap where the elite ignore the plight of the common person until it becomes a security or social issue."
City officials, led by the City Commercial Officer, argue that the evictions are necessary to decongest the city and relocate traders to the over 5,000 vacant stalls in gazetted markets such as Mbarara Central Market and Rwebikona.
However, the primary issue remains the “harmony” MP Mpaka referenced. As the planned meeting approaches, all eyes are on the city leadership to see whether they will adopt a more inclusive approach or continue the forceful implementation of the “city order” policy.
For now, Mbarara City residents remain in uncertainty, caught between the demands of urban development and the harsh reality of economic survival.