China Town: Police Shutdown New Supermarket Selling Cheap Chinese Products Amid Terrorist Alert

• Police in China Town temporarily shut down a popular supermarket known for its low prices and wide range of products
• Shoppers were attracted to the store by its significantly cheaper goods compared to regular retail shops, with comparable quality
• According to store marketing head Daniel Akwanget, social media influencers inadvertently promoted the store, leading to increased foot traffic and visibility
• The temporary closure was ordered due to concerns over congestion and a terrorist threat, heightened by the American Embassy's warning of increased risk around the September 11 attacks anniversary

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than three years of financial, business, and technology research expertise, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Lugogo: Police in Uganda's China Town have temporarily shutdown a supermarket that has gained popularity for cheap prices.

Before the Ugandan police shut down the China Town hypermarket in Lugogo, many people had already visited the store, taking photos of the products and their prices and sharing on social media.

Shoppers quickly flocked to the shopping centre after observing that the goods were significantly cheaper than those in regular retail shops, yet the quality seemed comparable.

According to to Uganda's Monitor, Daniel Akwanget, the head of marketing at the store, said many of the clients who are thronging their stores are TikTok influencers and ended up advertising indirectly.

"We didn't know that the social media influencers were advertising for us indirectly. We have been seeing people coming to the stores, they take videos of our products and share them. This is why we have all these crowds. We didn't pay or even hire the influencers. These people are coming here on their own," he Akwanget said as reported by Monitor.

Why police shut down China Town

Pulse Uganda reported that police and military temporarily shut down the shopping centre till further notice citing congestion and terrorist threat.

“Please leave now; we have a terror threat, “ the officer announced using a megaphone.

The American Embassy in Uganda announced an “increased risk of terrorist attacks in Kampala” as the September 11 attacks anniversary looms.

“As we approach the September 11 attacks anniversary, the likelihood of terrorist organisations, extremist groups, associates, and sympathisers launching attacks to coincide with this anniversary cannot be overemphasized. By their nature, terrorist attacks are unpredictable, which highlights the risk that the UN could be affected or may suffer collateral damage” reads the US mission security alert in part.

The new store, which opened over the weekend at the former Shoprite Supermarket in Lugogo, primarily sells home appliances, including Chinese electronics, fabrics, kitchenware, sports equipment, furniture, televisions, and crockery, among other items.

China Square in Kenya reopens for business.

In other related news on TUKO.co.ke, China Square, a Chinese supermarket in Nairobi, was temporarily closed by the government in 2023 but was later reopenned.

The store had been at the centre of controversy after local traders accused it of unfair competition due to the cheap prices offered at the time.

Report indicated that the popular shopping store was reopened after the Chinese community held talks with the Kenyan government.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.