Media personality and entrepreneur Anna Talia Oze has poured her heart out to the government after her small business was destroyed by the recent floods that hit downtown Kampala, leaving traders counting huge losses.
In an emotional post on social media, Anna revealed that her undergarment manufacturing business was among those severely affected by the heavy rains, saying she lost millions in stock and supplies.
“I haven’t been myself since Friday. The floods swept through and left me broken emotionally and financially,” she wrote.
“As a small cottage manufacturer producing undergarments and supplying dozens of bayilibi, I’ve lost millions.”
The former TV host said her pain is only a small reflection of what thousands of downtown traders, bayilibi, and sub-renters go through daily — calling them “the unsung backbone of Uganda’s informal economy.”
She added that many small business owners started from scratch with no grants, no inheritance, and only small loans and faith, which now hang like “heavy stones” after the disaster.
Anna has since appealed to the Minister of Disaster Preparedness Hon. Lillian Aber, the Prime Minister, and President Yoweri Museveni to extend relief and recovery support to informal traders, not just big shop owners.
“Please, look beyond the big shop owners. There’s a whole ecosystem of silent hustlers who have lost everything,” she said.
She concluded by reminding leaders that while their businesses may look small, they are the heartbeat of downtown Uganda.
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