Expectations of the government

“Because SIHA has taught us how to save, we had been saving some money since 2018. However, we used all the savings. With time, our cooperatives collapsed. Now, we want to renew our certificates (renewal of the cooperative certificates with the government) but we do not have the money to start with.”37

Women market vendors, especially those who did not sell food items, also quickly went through their savings as they struggled to care for their families. “Personally, I had some savings. I had some stock (second-hand clothes). It took quite some time (for the savings to get finished) … Let me say an average of six months, because whatever I could get from the sales, I would buy food for my children. Even operating your small saving groups, you can’t even save. The only thing you do is, you want to get more from the saving groups where you are not even putting (saving).”38

Even when the food vendors in markets were allowed to work, clients were not buying as much as they did pre-Covid-19, and this meant merchandise perished at a faster rate.

“Not many (customers) were coming, and those who came, had their people (market vendors of food items) who they had been buying from for a long time. As new person to the business of selling food items, it took me a long time to get clients of my own.”39

Replenishing stock meant pooling money with other vendors to hire delivery trucks to ferry the merchandise from larger markets. Those who transported their merchandise on boda boda40 motorcycles

37 Asina Zawedde, street vendor, Wandegeya, Kampala City 38 Jane Akwero, market vendor, Driwala Market, Arua City 39 Jane Akwero, market vendor, Driwala Market, Arua City 40 Motorcycle taxis had to pay a lot of money to pay for the fuel consumed over long distances. “Whenever we (market vendors) would want to go and buy things, we would send a motorcycle (boda boda rider) at a high price (fare) to the market at the border. The quality the person (boda boda rider) may bring for you would be the quality your customers may not like.”41

Hence the rejected merchandise was left to perish. With personal savings depleted, women market and street vendors emptied the cooperatives’ coffers. With no money being brought in, the cooperatives collapsed. To keep restocking their businesses, market vendors borrowed money – with interest – from family and friends.

With the enforcement of a lockdown and curfew, the government instituted national and district Covid-19 task forces to implement and manage the Covid-19 pandemic containment and recovery measures. The president headed the National Taskforce, while resident district commissioners, who are the president’s representatives in districts, headed the district task forces. However, while representation on the district task forces was drawn from several sectors, women in the informal sector, especially female vendors and grassroots/communities were excluded. This points to the weakness in gender and governance at the local level, especially when it comes to including women in decision-making. Women market and street vendors expected the government to offer welfare – especially cash handouts and low interest credit – to carry them through

41 Mercy Onzizuyo, market vendor, Awindiri Market, Arua City