At 11:30 am the angry traders started burning car tyres in the road, forcing police to fire teargas and bullets
Riots have erupted around Kisekka Market in downtown Kampala.
The riots started after angry traders operating on Kyaggwe, Martin, Nakivubo,
Namirembe, Mackay, Nasser, Nkurumah and Agha Khan Roads demanded to know why
some of the roads leading to their arcades and shops were cordoned off.
The situation was relatively calm before 11:00 am with some
business people displaying their merchandise on the streets.
At 11:30 am the angry traders started burning car tyres in the
road, forcing police to fire teargas and bullets. Some of the people who were
caught up in the chaos were seen fleeing to different parts of the town, while some
traders closed their shops.
Some of the arcades were also closed following the heavy
deployment. They include Ravens, Shamba, Admore, Najja, Equatorial and Kisekka
Auto Centre.
John Kiwanuka, a mechanic in Kisekka Market says police and
military stormed the market at 9:00 am and cordoned off all shops dealing in spare
parts shops, leaving the mechanics stranded.
Sarah Nakisige, a worker at Lion Auto Spare Parts says they have
been locked outside the shop since morning. She decided to take refuge inside
Arua Arcade.
Mohamed Kalanzi, a spare parts dealer at Mackay road says their
shops and businesses have been affected since morning because of police and
military presence. He says they have been peaceful but the security around made
people angry.
The Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango says
that police will remain deployed at Kisekka market until the situation
normalises. According to Onyango, security personnel were deployed to stop the
protesters from looting property.
