By KT Reporter
Four traders were arraigned before the Buganda Road court on Thursday evening, charged, and remanded to Luzira prison over the riots in Kampala Capital City.
Sunday John Baptist, a shop attendant resident of Ndejje Sabagabo, Kenny Nsamba, a resident of Salaama road, Ratif Tenwya resident of Lusaze Rubaga division, and Jackson Ssenabulya, a Boda Boda rider resident of Kitagobwa Kansangati in Wakiso district, appeared before Senior Principal Grade One magistrate Winnie Nankya.
They denied one count of being a common nuisance. The Court has heard that on November 5th, 2025, along William and Ben Kiwanuka Street within Kampala Central, the traders converged to block businesses and members of the public from accessing their shops, thereby causing annoyance and disturbance.
However, the traders were unable to upload their securities’ introduction letters on the online court system (ECCMIS). They were remanded to Luzira prison until 6th November 2025.
Their plights stem from a strike in Kampala where traders closed their shops in protest of high taxes, increased rent, and floods that destroyed their merchandise. Many said the flooding of the shops was caused by the ongoing construction works on the Nakivubo channel. T
The traders accuse the National Environmental Management Authority, KCCA, and businessman Hamis Kiggundu and his company, Kiham Enterprises Limited, of being responsible for the disaster.
The heavy rains that hit downtown Kampala on October 31, 2025, caused massive flooding across major streets, including Ben Kiwanuka, Kimathi Avenue, and parts of Nakivubo Channel.
Shops, arcades, and markets were submerged in muddy water, leaving traders helpless as their goods floated away. Many small business owners said the incident wiped out their entire stock.
The traders under their two umbrella Associations, Kampala Arcaders Traders Association -KATA and UNATA, have since sued the said government institutions and Kiggundu, seeking compensation for the losses incurred at French Plaza, Total Plaza, Jambole Plaza, Pentagon Arcade, 888 Plaza, BMK Plaza, PAPAZ Plaza, BBC Plaza, Shauriyako, and Channel Street.
They are also seeking a permanent injunction to stop businessman Kiggundu from further construction works along the Nakivubo drainage channel, which they say is the main cause of the problem.
The court documents indicate that the controversy began with a proposal submitted by Kiggundu to the President of Uganda on July 25, 2025, to cover the Nakivubo Drainage Channel, citing sanitation concerns and blockages.
The records indicate that President Yoweri Kaguta approved the plan in a letter to the Prime Minister in August 2025, directing that Kiggundu be allowed to execute the project. The petitioners argue that this approval bypassed required environmental assessments and urban planning approvals from NEMA and KCCA, making the construction unlawful.
The trader’s associations claim they repeatedly tried to engage Kiggundu and his company on the matter, including visits to the construction site to raise concerns about flooding and property damage, but in vain.
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