Traders petition Masindi council to halt December trade show
Business owners in Masindi Municipality have petitioned local authorities to reconsider the timing of a trade show planned for 18 December 2025 to 2 January 2026, warning that the event could severely affect end-of-year earnings for local traders.
The traders, representing small and medium-scale businesses across the municipality, submitted a petition to the Central Division leadership on 17 November 2025, urging officials to shift the event to March 2026, a period they say aligns with previous practice and minimizes disruption.
More than 300 traders signed the petition.
Concerns over peak season disruption
According to the petition, December is the most active trading month of the year, with heightened demand for clothing, food items, electronics and household goods as families prepare for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Traders argue that holding a trade show during this period risks diverting customers from permanent businesses to temporary exhibitors. Many trade show vendors are external operators who sell at lower prices, often due to bulk purchasing or subsidies.
Local traders say such competition would erode their seasonal revenue at a time when many rely on December sales to restock, settle debts or pay school fees for the following year.
Call for protection of local taxpayers
The petition also points out that traders form a significant portion of the municipality’s tax base and should therefore be shielded from decisions that threaten business stability.
Traders asked the Central Division to “protect its own tax payers” by maintaining the previous trade show schedule of March and August, instead of adding a December edition.
Questions Over Event Approval
The petition notes that organizers of an earlier October trade show reportedly paid 3 million shillings to secure approval for the December–January event. Traders say that despite raising concerns, they were not consulted before the schedule was confirmed.
Some business owners expressed frustration, saying they have been “left with no option but to fight for themselves” through formal petitions and public pressure.
The petition was formally received by the Senior Assistant Town Clerk, the Office of the Resident District Commissioner and Masindi Municipal Council’s Central Division.
Municipal authorities have not yet issued a public response to the concerns or indicated whether the event will be rescheduled.
