A group of traders yesterday held a strike against the management of a building which they occupy over electricity cuts.Police was heavily deployed to quell the strike fearing a spill over into other areas of Kampala’s business districts.
The news of the strike first broke out on social media through reports given by one trader called Martha Draru.
“We have not had power for two days,that is why people are striking,” Draru says.
While Draru reported that the incident was throughout Nasser Road,another trader called Mugisha Jovan who spoke to this reporter said that it only affected one building.
“The management of that building which I shall not mention was not paying electricity bills in spite of traders paying them,” Mugisha says.
This had happened for sometime.With UMEME cutting off power,the traders took the matter in their hands.
A policeman who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity said there were fears that the strike would degenerate into chaos.
“In this tense political moment,we cannot take chances.We had to deploy because another group of people totally unconnected to the grievances of the traders can hijack the whole thing,” the officer said.
Nasser road is the largest single trading center for Kampala’s printing business.Its traders have held strikers in the past whenever there are specific issues confronting them.
