Four Traders Remanded to Luzira Over Kampala Protests

Police fired tear gas at traders.

Four city traders have been remanded to Luzira Prison after being charged with causing common nuisance during Monday’s protests over high taxes and rent in Kampala.

The accused — Sunday John Baptist, Nsamba Kenny, Tenwya Ratif, and Ssenabulya Jackson — appeared before Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya on Thursday and denied the charges.

According to prosecution, the four allegedly blocked businesses and obstructed public access along William and Ben Kiwanuka streets, disrupting normal activity in the central business district.

However, the accused were unable to upload their sureties’ documents onto the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS), a requirement for securing bail. Magistrate Nankya subsequently remanded them to Luzira Prison until Friday when the case will return for mention.

The protests, which paralysed sections of downtown Kampala, were staged by traders expressing frustration over what they termed excessive taxes and rising rent, which they say have made business operations unsustainable.

Traders specifically protested against unfair Value Added Tax (VAT), the enforcement of the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System (EFRIS), import taxes on fabrics, non-refund of the 6% Withholding Tax, and the continued presence of petty foreign traders in local retail trade.

Many traders kept their shops closed in defiance, while others waved Ugandan flags, blew whistles, and carried placards reading “High Taxes Must Fall.” Some symbolically sealed their mouths with tape to demonstrate how tax policies have silenced their livelihoods.

Speaking to reporters, Godfrey Katongole, Chairperson of the Uganda National Traders Alliance, said the protests erupted after government failed to respond to repeated calls for dialogue.

“Let traders take over the city. We have had discussions with government but nothing has been answered,” Katongole said.

The police have since maintained heavy deployment in parts of the city to prevent further unrest as negotiations between traders’ associations and government agencies continue