A Systematic Review of Occupational Health Hazards and Mitigation Strategies for Informal Sector Workers in Kampala's Markets and Transport Hubs: An African Perspective (2021–2026)

This systematic literature review addresses the critical gap in synthesised evidence regarding occupational health hazards and their mitigation for informal sector workers in Kampala’s markets and transport hubs. It systematically identifies, appraises, and synthesises peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 2021 and 2026 to characterise prevalent risks and evaluate documented protective practices. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search was executed across major academic databases and African institutional repositories, with included studies subjected to a rigorous critical appraisal. The findings reveal that workers, including market vendors, motorcycle taxi (*boda boda*) riders, and load carriers, face a multifaceted burden of hazards. These are categorised as physical (notably musculoskeletal disorders from manual handling and traffic accidents), biological (exposure to waste and poor sanitation), and psychosocial (chronic stress and violence). Documented mitigation strategies are predominantly informal, individual, and reactive, with a pronounced scarcity of evidence for effective, systemic interventions. The analysis underscores a stark disconnect between the scale of the problem and the institutional response, highlighting the pervasive exclusion of informal workers from national occupational health frameworks. This synthesis provides an urgent, consolidated evidence base to advocate for inclusive, context-specific regulations that acknowledge the informal sector’s centrality to urban economies and its workers’ right to health protection.