The Minister of State for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs Kyofatogabye Kabuye has released the list of shopping malls and arcades that will be reopened soon and those that will stay closed.
At least 127 shopping malls and arcades will be reopened after fulfilling the requirements set by KCCA and the Ministry of Health (MoH).
A total of 50 arcades and shopping have not been recommended for reopening.
These include: Mabirizi City Plaza, Kizito Towers, Mutasa Kafero, Gaza Land, Zam Zam Businesses Centre, and Nabukera Plaza.
Here is what Minister Kyofatogabye Kabuye said on behalf of his senior Minsa Kabanda as he released the lists:
On the 7th day of August 2021 the Ministry came out to update the public on the guidelines and status of opening works spaces in the CBD as guided by the President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in his address after the Nationwide forty-two (42) day lockdown.
The Ministry and KCCA started implementing directives under the partially lifted Covid-19 lock down protocols in CBD workspaces especially Kikuubo and other buidlings/arcades that were characterized by congestion and overcrowding both of which create opportune grounds for the spread of Covid- 19.
Consequently, the Public Health team at KCCA together with other agencies namely; Internal Security, Military Police, Uganda Police Force and Ministry of Trade, Industry & Cooperatives were constituted into an inspection team to assess suitability and compliance of the arcades based on a checklist that ensured adherence to Covid-19 SOPs and in conformity with Public Health and Physical Planning statutes.
The arcade owners, their leaders and trader Association leaders were fully involved in the drafting of the said checklist and this is what was used to recommend opening, provisionally fail or fail reopening of arcades.
The critical measures that the inspection teams are using to make determinations of whether arcades and malls should be opened or not are the following:
1. 50% capacity in the arcades.
2. No vendors or hawkers allowed on City streets in the CBD.
3. All passageways be cleared of illegal structures.
4. No shop extensions were allowed.
5. Access would only be allowed with mask, temperature measurement and sanitization
6. Presence of compliance officers
7. CCTV camera surveillance
8. Isolation rooms in place.
9. Adequate sanitary facilities (one toilet per 20 shops)
10. A register of all tenants in the arcade to facilitate government knowledge of populations in the said workspaces and extent of government intervention if any is required.
As at Wednesday 11th August 2021, a total of two hundred and forty-seven (247) arcades had been inspected of which only 127 were recommended for opening while 120 were not recommended for re-opening.
The arcades that failed are divided into two categories, that is; 1) Those whose defects could be cured easily by implementing correcting measures, and 2) Those whose defects were substantial and major work was required for compliance to be achieved.
Therefore, of the 120 non-complaint arcades and malls, 50 of them are substantially non-compliant (therefore Failed) while 70 are curable (Provisionally Failed). The major issues (defects) affecting the “Provisionally Failed” and “Failed” arcades and malls are listed in below:
Failed: Inadequate or lack of toilets, Parking or basements converted into shops with poor ventilation and lighting, No fire escape, congested or obstructed corridors with shops and shop extensions, hanging electric wires, dilapidated buildings, staircases blocked or obstructed by temporary shops, no garbage disposal points
Provisionally Failed: No CCTV, No Compliance Officer, No running water, Defective Toilets, No Isolation Room, No Fire Extinguishers, No building plans, No Poor Waste Management
All building owners of non-complaint buildings have been served with defects or non-compliance notices that detail the corrective measures that have to be undertaken before re- inspection.
Within seven (7) days, starting today, the inspection teams will be ready to go back to the buildings that seek re-inspection for clearance to open upon notification of the Town Clerk by the property proprietor or administrator.
We trust that by early next week, 197 arcades out of the 247 total should be open.
Attached is the list of arcades and their operational status.
For the “Failed” buildings, interventions such as keeping the basements closed while they open are going to be explored so we increase the number of businesses that open without compromising the intended compliance with SOPS.
There shall be an engagement of arcade and building owners in this category in the course of next week to establish their progress on compliance, so businesses can reopen.
Our enforcement teams continue to ensure that all streets are void of vendors while we encourage those trading in irregular spaces to move into the markets and the out skirts of the CBD.
Government through KCCA has greatly improved infrastructure like roads, street lighting and drainage in the suburbs attracting developments that are quickly and competitively providing workspaces.
On Monday, 16th August 2021, the inspection teams shall head out to Makindye Division and thereafter, Lubaga, Kawempe and Nakawa to undertake the same task to ascertain compliance of arcades and other workspaces.
Vaccination continues under KCCA and the Metropolitan at designated points that have been extensively published and we encourage all those that are eligible, as per the Ministry of Health Guidance, to get vaccinated.
I remind each one of us that our compliance as city shall determine whether the economy fully reopens successfully or we face a third wave.
I continue to appeal to each one of us to uphold the SOPs communicated by the Ministry of Health and abide by the government set curfew hours.
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