President Museveni has extended financial support to over 9,000 evening market vendors operating under the Toninyila Market initiative in Kampala. Each vendor, many of whom deal in cooked food sold along city streets, received shs100,000 to boost their small-scale businesses.
The State House Comptroller, Jane Barekye, delivered the financial package on behalf of the President and commended the vendors for their resilience and ability to sustain their livelihoods despite operating with limited capital.
She urged them to use the funds strictly for business growth, emphasizing that the initiative is ongoing and will cover all five divisions of Kampala.
The rollout began in the Central Division and will later expand to other areas, in line with President Museveni’s directive to ensure that support reaches “the last person,” particularly those who are often excluded from mainstream government programs.
Barekye praised President Museveni for his continued focus on household income enhancement through targeted support to micro-entrepreneurs and informal traders.
Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Mobilization, Moses Byaruhanga, also addressed the vendors. He highlighted that while the NRM government has implemented major anti-poverty interventions—such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga—Kampala’s evening street vendors had not been adequately captured in these frameworks.
He noted that the President specifically instructed his team to identify, organize, and support the evening market vendors due to their important contribution to the urban economy.
Byaruhanga also encouraged the vendors to rally behind President Museveni and NRM flag bearers in the upcoming elections, stressing that their continued support would ensure the sustainability of such inclusive, people-centered initiatives.
