Kampala — HAWKING will be legalised in the central business district, Kampala City Council (KCC) has said. This takes effect this festive season.

The Mayor, Nasser Ntege Sebaggala, said the city's 20,000 hawkers (batembeyi) would operate twice a week in each of Kampala's eight constituencies.

He added that if they complied with KCC's bylaws, their area of operation would be widened to cover the city's five divisions.

Shopkeepers have been pushing KCC to eject hawkers from the city.

Speaking to journalists at the KCC on Friday, Sebaggala said the hawkers buy their items from wholesalers and sell them at cheaper prices than the shopkeepers who pay tax and other operational fees.

Unlike shopkeepers, the mayor added, hawkers embark on door-to-door trade, which saves their customers from trekking long distances and spending time and money to access goods and services.

Some city law enforcement officers collect money from them, which is not receipted, he said, adding that the money never gets to the city council.

"When KCC drives them out of the city, the hawkers cry foul since they assume they have paid their dues," Sebaggala added.

"This is what we want to correct. Since they earn from hawking, we have to tax them. But this must be done following the right forum," he told The New Vision.

He noted that the rivalry between shop operators and hawkers was a problem in the industrial and business sectors.

"Batembeyi are here to stay, but we need to find lasting solutions to the problem. This requires our input and that of the Government," he said.