Kampala Capital City Authority has started a crackdown on traders who have taken advantage of the ongoing coronavirus crisis to hike prices for commodities.
On Tuesday, President Museveni warned that traders found guilty of hiking commodity prices will have their licences cancelled.
However, in a statement released on Thursday morning, KCCA said they have started enforcing the president’s directive in all parts of the city.
“Pursuant to the aforesaid Presidential Directives, this is to inform the public that KCCA has moved to start enforcement. All traders in both the retail and wholesale business that any trader that is discovered to have unreasonably and unlawfully hiked the price of any good whatsoever shall have the trading license permanently revoked pursuant to section 11(3) the Trade Licensing Act as amended by the Trade (Licensing) (Amendment) Act, 2015,”KCCA said in a statement.
According to the statement, members of the public have been urged to report any trader flouting the presidential directives for reprimand.
Since last week, prices for key necessities at home like food stuffs have more than doubled as members of the public panic to buy and stock at home in preparation for a possible lock down as the deadly coronavirus pandemic persists.
The president on Tuesday said he would not hesitate to cancel licences for traders involved in hiking prices for food and other essential commodities as they take advantage of the current coronarivus pandemic to cheat members of the public.
“I hear there are crooks hiking the prices of food. I will send my spies to the market and if I find anybody hiking the prices, I will cancel their licences. You are crooks. What has happened to make the prices go up? What has changed to make things expensive,”Museveni wondered.
Describing the traders as crooks, the president said he will order for the cancellation of their licences for good.
Source: NP
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