Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has strongly pushed back against traders accusing her office of withholding Shs20 billion meant to compensate businesses destroyed by the devastating floods that hit downtown Kampala on October 31, 2025. The angry traders, many of whom operate in arcades around the Nakivubo channel, staged protests on Monday, March 9, claiming that […]
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has strongly pushed back against traders accusing her office of withholding Shs20 billion meant to compensate businesses destroyed by the devastating floods that hit downtown Kampala on October 31, 2025.
The angry traders, many of whom operate in arcades around the Nakivubo channel, staged protests on Monday, March 9, claiming that the money had already been released by President Yoweri Museveni but was being deliberately held back by the Prime Minister.
According to the traders, the President promised them financial support during two separate meetings, one held at his Kisozi farm and another in Nakawa. They insist the Shs20 billion relief package was approved and delivered, but months later, the funds have not reached the affected business owners.
Frustrated by the delay, the traders have threatened to escalate their protest. They say they will close their shops by March 25 and march to Parliament to petition the Speaker over what they describe as government inaction.
However, Nabbanja dismissed the accusations while speaking during belated Women’s Day celebrations held Tuesday at specialised medical treatment at Mulago National referral Hospital insisting that confusion over beneficiary lists was the main reason for the delay.
“These people are the ones who are failing themselves, isn’t it? They want to steal and now they are abusing everybody. But that will not stop us from supporting them.” Nabbanja said
The Prime Minister compared the situation to handling a difficult patient in a hospital, arguing that government support would continue despite the traders’ criticism.
“When you are treating a patient, sometimes a patient can be naughty. Do you leave that patient to die?” she said.
Nabbanja explained that the main challenge lies in verifying the lists of traders who should benefit from the relief funds, noting that different groups had submitted conflicting figures.
“KCCA gave me 460 traders. The leaders of the traders gave me 2,000. Another list came of 1,600. So I had to involve ISO. So I gave all those lists to ISO to verify. Now, before verification, these people are already striking,” she said.
She indicated that government must first harmonize the lists to ensure only genuine victims of the floods receive compensation.
The October 31 floods caused extensive destruction in several Kampala arcades after heavy rainfall overwhelmed the Nakivubo drainage channel, flooding basements and ground-floor shops and destroying merchandise worth billions of shillings.
Many traders say they have struggled to recover from the losses and have been relying on government intervention to restart their businesses.
Despite Nabbanja’s assurances that the government remains committed to helping them, the traders insist they will proceed with their planned march to Parliament unless the promised money is released.
