The frustration that spilled onto the steps of the High Court last week was not the noise of unruly protesters but the cry of ordinary Ugandans pleading for justice. Kampala’s traders, many of them members of Kampala Arcade Traders Association (KATA) and Uganda National Traders Alliance (UNATA), gathered once again to demand answers after their case against the redevelopment of the Nakivubo drainage channel was pushed to 2026.
For small business owners already battered by floods, lost income, and economic uncertainty, this postponement feels less like a delay and more like abandonment. Their legal battle began after floods swept through downtown Kampala, destroying merchandise worth millions and leaving families financially crippled. The traders argue that the ongoing redevelopment of the Nakivubo channel, which is led by businessman Hamis Kiggundu and his company Kiham Enterprises, has obstructed natural water flow and worsened the flooding that repeatedly ruins their livelihoods. Many of these traders are mothers, fathers, and breadwinners who cannot simply ‘wait until 2026.’ Their lives and businesses are at stake today.
Yet instead of answers, they have received a string of adjournments, procedural explanations, and shifting court dates. It is a pattern that has become all too common in our justice system. When delays become habitual, the courts risk signalling that the powerful can wait out the powerless, that justice is not a right, but a privilege. This case raises uncomfortable but necessary questions. Why is a project of such magnitude allowed to proceed amid allegations of inadequate environmental compliance? Why are affected traders left without compensation even as government entities involved in the same area reportedly received theirs? And why must ordinary citizens feel that justice slips further from reach each time the courtroom doors open?
When traders ask, ‘Are we Ugandans or not? Does the law work for everyone or only the rich?’ they are voicing a national sentiment that the rule of law feels uneven. They see a system that appears more responsive to economic might than to the everyday citizen struggling to keep a shop open. Urban development is essential, and Kampala undeniably needs upgraded drainage infrastructure. But development that disregards environmental safeguards and public participation cannot be called progress. When enforcement of regulations appears selective, public trust erodes. A functional justice system must demonstrate that even the most influential developers are not exempt from scrutiny.
What Kampala’s traders want is timely adjudication of their case, accountability where harm has been done, assurance that development will not drown their livelihoods. Above all, they want recognition that their rights matter. The Judiciary carries the heavy responsibility of restoring confidence. By resolving cases swiftly and transparently, it can reaffirm that justice in Uganda is not reserved for the well-connected but is the foundation upon which a fair society stands.