KAMPALA . Traders in downtown Kampala on Wednesday were engaged in running battles with police which fired tear gas and live bullets in the area to disperse them .
The morning sit down strike quickly escalated into intense confrontations as traders insisted on keeping their shops closed in protest of what they described as unbearable taxes and enforcement measures.
By mid-morning, groups of traders were seen waving Ugandan flags, some with tape over their mouths, while others blew whistles and chanted “high taxes must fall.” Police and the military patrolled the streets, attempting to break up crowds, but clashes intensified when officers fired tear gas into arcades along Ben Kiwanuka and Kikuubo lanes.
“We are tired of taxes, we are tired of rent, we are tired of suffering,” one trader shouted after his arrest before being bundled into a waiting police pickup.
As police advanced, traders inside arcades pelted them with stones, plastic water bottles and metal objects, forcing officers to take cover. At one point, police struggled to access upper floors of the buildings, prompting the military police to join the operation. Several traders were later dragged out of the arcades, some bleeding from beatings sustained during the scuffle.
“We have been making noise for a long time, but nobody listens. Water is expensive, rent is high, everything keeps going up,” said another trader, Mr William Jjemba.
“We are closing to show that we are not happy. We have suffered enough.”
The chairperson of the Uganda National Traders Alliance, Mr Godfrey Katongole said efforts to have the government address traders’ concerns had not yielded results, sparking the renewed strike.
“Traders think we have betrayed them, everything is high. They have kept and enough is enough now. Let traders take over the city. We have had discussions with the government but nothing has been answered,””Mr Katongole said.
Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson, Mr Luke Owesigwire, confirmed that at least 13 traders had been arrested, 11 for inciting violence and two for assaulting officers on duty.
The traders are protesting what they call unfair VAT, the enforcement of the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System (EFRIS), import taxes on fabrics, non-refund of the 6 percent Withholding Tax, and the continued operation of petty foreign traders in local retail business.