As Ugandan traders have been confused on whether to go back to work or not following President Museveni’s directive that malls can resume, Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde has clarified on the difference between malls and arcades.
While addressing the media today, Minister Kyambadde explained that shopping malls were allowed to open because they don’t pull crowds and shops have few attendants compared to Arcades.
“Malls have ample parking space, while arcades are congested and lack convenient parking space. Malls have two major entrances and one emergency exit, but arcades have multiple entries and exits,” Kyambadde explained in the statement.
She added, “Shopping malls do not attract as much traffic as down town like arcades do which makes it easier to control human traffic and hence avoid congestion.”
She said malls mostly have facilities that offer essential services, like; banking, pharmacies, supermarkets, and sometimes office space, whereas arcades are strictly for general merchandise.
The Minister named facilities that qualify in the malls category including Acacia Mall, Village Mall, Imperial Mall, Metroplex Mall, Oasis Mall, Garden City, Kingdom Kampala, Shoprite Lugogo, Victoria Mall, and Marigold Mall in Ntinda.
Kyambadde however revealed that shops on the arcades facing streets are allowed to open provided they follow the Standard Operating Procedures.