In the heart of Kampala, tens of thousands of people rely on the city’s bustling sidewalks and markets to earn a living. For many, especially women and young people, street vending is not informal — it is essential. It pays school fees, buys food, and supports entire families.

Yet in recent weeks, vendors across Kampala were given a stark ultimatum: clear the streets within two weeks or face eviction. Authorities say vendors must relocate, but many have resisted — not out of defiance, but out of desperation. The alternatives offered are far from adequate, and without clear consultation, relocation becomes exclusion.

WLEDE knows this story all too well.

In 2021, we partnered with vendors not as subjects of planning but as partners in shaping their futures. Through months of community engagement and direct dialogue, we helped design and implement the Vendor Census of 2021 — a city-wide effort to understand who vendors are, what they contribute, and what they need in order to thrive. The goal was simple yet bold: build public policy grounded in data, not assumptions.

That census produced the evidence that vendors matter. It showed the reality of their families, their challenges, and their indispensable role in our urban economies. It was meant to prepare for exactly these moments when planning decisions would affect thousands.

Today, as eviction deadlines loom and relocation plans fall short, that work speaks to us — and demands a response.

This crisis disproportionately affects women — who make up a significant portion of Kampala’s vending community. When these women lose their places in the city, their families lose stability, children lose schooling funds, and entire communities lose resilience.

Kampala can grow without leaving anyone behind. These streets are not just places of commerce — they are places of hope.