Investigation into the impact of street vending on the functionality of streets in Kampala City: a case study of Nakivubo cell

Abstract

Street vending is in almost every urban center especially in developing countries employing a relatively greater number of the urban poor. This informal sector is considered as an impediment towards developments of cities and urban authorities finds it so hard to regulate it due to its nature and scope. The research seeks to make contributions on how street vending can be regulated, without hindering the functionality of the streets and how to create harmony between the vendors and the urban authorities This research mainly focused on conditions of the street vendors considering collaborative approaches in decision making, equality and protection of the rights of street vendors. It also focused on the contributions of street vending to the economy and the challenges that rise out due to this informal sector. Methods such as observation, interviewing, questioners and photography were used to gather information obtained in this research. The collected data included the commodities sold, most age groups involved, most gender that participates, how other activities on the street have been affected by street vending, sanitation conditions due to this activity, challenges faced by street vendors and the various stake holders such as the public and KCCA opinions on street vending. Lastly, key recommendations depending on the data collected was made to have harmony and for a better functionality of the streets and these include; promoting hawking as its not fixed, planning for specific areas for vending, encouraging street vendors to form groups for savings and securing loans and to have a collective voice, street vendors be issued with licenses as a means of legality and street vendors should always find ways on how to manage their wastes