Uganda detaining homeless in clean-up drive to host global summits, opposition say

Kampala. Ugandan opposition parties on Tuesday said the government was detaining homeless people and razing thousands of roadside kiosks in a clean-up drive before hosting two global summits this month.

Uganda is currently hosting the Non-Aligned Movement summit, with heads of state expected to meet on Friday, followed by a gathering of the influential G77+China group, which represents 134 developing countries.

"All in the name of preparing for the summits, so many lives have been disrupted and some have been completely destroyed as (the) government tried to put up a fake image," opposition leader Bobi Wine said.

"More than 3,000 business premises have been demolished in Makindye Division (the neighbourhood hosting the summits)," said the popstar-turned-politician.

"Many people especially the homeless have been detained and traffic flow has become a nightmare putting the lives of citizens at (a) standstill," said the National Unity Platform (NUP) leader.

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, challenged veteran President Yoweri Museveni in Uganda's last election in 2021, calling for an end to his iron-fisted rule.

John Kikonyogo, spokesman for the Forum for Democratic Change opposition party, said small businesses were "forcibly closed by the regime purportedly to present a more favourable image to the summit visitors."

A food vendor along the highway connecting Uganda's capital Kampala to the main international airport said police ordered her to close her business for security reasons.

"When I reported to work the next day, the stall, the utensils, the fresh food I left the previous night, were gone and the place was flattened," Stella Nakazzi, a single mother of five, told AFP.

The authorities have banned most motorcycle taxis from operating in Kampala for the duration of the summit, clearing them out of their traditional parking zones.

Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, the minister for Kampala, told AFP the government had warned people "that some of their businesses were illegal, the structures unplanned".

"All that information was passed to the people and many understood and vacated peacefully," she said.

According to Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi, about 4,000 visitors including over 50 heads of state have confirmed attendance at the two summits.

The Non-Aligned Movement was founded 63 years ago to give a greater voice to countries squeezed in the power struggle between the United States and Soviet Union.