“Peace is when we are working”: Insecurity and small business survival in Kampala

Small businesses in the Global South are vital social and economic actors. Yet many operate in a state of precarity, navigating informality, insecurity, and contentious political contexts. Connecting small business, entrepreneurship, and political economy perspectives, this article considers how small businesses negotiate urban insecurity and political violence and the social roles they may play in supporting peace and development in rapidly urbanizing and politically contested cities. Drawing on semistructured interviews with micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), owners, and interviews with key informants in politics, business, and academia, this article examines small business agency, collective action, and experiences of insecurity in two districts in Kampala, Uganda. Our results suggest that both insecurity and peace are often conceptualized in economic and personal terms by MSMEs rather than in relation to the presence and absence of violence. Moreover, while there is some scope for collective action by MSMEs to address these conditions, they are also constrained in their agency by the broader nature of the political economy of the city. We conclude by discussing implications for urban policy and management practice.