In a bid to find a solution to opening up arcades downtown, Kampala MinisterBetty Amongi has called for a meeting of all associations of Kampala arcade landlords and traders today. Amongi has called the meeting to map a way forward towards re-opening arcades and to avert a strike that Kampala Arcaders Traders Association had planned for today. Police has heavily deployed downtown to avert the planned strike and some arrests have been made.
“As you are aware, H.E The president in his 15th address to the nation on Covid-19 directed the Ministers responsible for Trade, Health and Kampala to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for re-opening of the Arcades and conduct a re-opening trial for those that have complied and report back to cabinet,” Amongi wrote.
Amongi said that an Inter Ministerial Committee comprising of the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Minister for Kampala City & Metropolitan Affairs and the Ministry of Health sat and established a technical committee chaired by the Resident City Commissioner.
The added that the committee has other members include the Presidential Advisor on Pandemics and representatives from the Directorate of Public Health and Environment under KCCA, technical officers from the relevant ministries and representatives of city traders associations.
Amongi adds that 77 arcades where inspected, of which 40 had met the SOPs by Friday July 10 and adds that inspections are still going on.
Amongi says the purpose of meeting arcade owners and city traders is to discuss the report from the inspection tam to guide the reopening of arcades and to receive guidance from the National Covid-19 Task Force on re-opening of arcades.
The meeting will comprise representatives of Kampala Landlords, the Chairperson Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA), the Chairperson Kampala Arcaders Advocacy Forum (KAAFO) and the Chairperson Kampala Arcaders Traders Association (KATA).