MBARARA – Mbarara City has officially allowed vendors to occupy the central market that has been undergoing construction since 2018.
According to Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, it was on 1st July 2017 when market vendors were temporarily shifted to Independence Park, a place they continuously termed as ‘Nalufenya’ since the rains and stinky area could not allow their daily business operations to run normally, while others complained of no customers in the area.
However, last week market vendors were seen marching along the streets of Mbarara together with the Minister for Local Government and Mbarara City leadership to a band tune as they launched the newly constructed market facility.
In his remarks, Lt Col James Mwesigye, the Resident City Commissioner [RCC] Mbarara reported to the Minister that fake registration of non-vendors is underway saying farmers are likely to lose out on the stalls.
He added that some leaders have been fleecing money from traders promising to secure stalls in the new market.
“We have a list of more than 200 people and none of them is correct. Approximately, 50 percent of the people you see here paid their money to some leaders to get them kiosks, yet they have no power over kiosks in the new market” RCC emphasized.
Lt Col James Mwesigye warned that he will lead a transparent process to ensure that the market benefits vendors not politicians or big names in the city.
“I am going to lead my team to ensure transparency. Whoever knows that he was paid money to allocate a kiosk in the market should refund it immediately or else we shall arrest you” Mwesigye said.
Arthur Abirebe, the City Town Clerk also said, the allocation committee must emphasize transparency in allocating stalls and kiosks to the vendors.
“We are aware as employees of the government that this market has been built for the vendors. In whatever we shall be doing, will ensure that whoever gets a stall must be a vendor” Abirebe said.
Minister Raphael Magezi also warned the city leaders who extracted money from vendors to refund the money immediately.
“If you know that you are a staff of Mbarara City Council, or you are on the allocation committee or leader of traders and you received money from vendors to give them stalls; refund that money when it is still early” Magezi said.
“This is a government market so no one should pay any money in order to be given a stall or kiosk in the market,” He added
He asked vendors to comply in payment of negotiable fees to the city council.
“You are required to pay a market fee per month which you will have to agree with the council leadership and that money must be paid directly to the government bank account” Hon Magezi said.
Mayor Robert Kakyebezi appealed to the minister to consider building another modern market in Mbarara City.
“Mbarara city is one of the fastest growing cities in business, since we are in a budgeting process, we are requesting you to provide us with another market such that it can cater for the street vendors”
He also asked landlords who sued the city council over the similar market issues to withdraw the matter for dialogue.
“Town clerk must call those people quickly and we harmonize and if they refuse, then we can proceed with court” says Kakyebezi
Minister Magezi directed that vendors should occupy the new modern facility starting on 11th April, 2022.
Nyombi Muhammad, the Mbarara Central Market Association Chairman confirmed that vendors are many compared to the market space hence the city council leadership must give priority to the original vendors.
“We have a small market and the space is small yet we registered so many people but we want to ensure that a person who occupies this market must be a vendor”
“I will not be part of this market if any of my vendors is kicked out because such stalls are for the low income earners, who with time should develop and leave it for starters” Muhammad said.
Rodgers Betunga, one of the vendors dealing in agrichemicals, asked the city leadership not to pressurize the vendors when shifting to the new market.
“We patiently managed to stay at Nalufenya for 5 years, so what is bothering us is that we should hurry to shift when the registrars are not yet cleared. For us what we want is transparency in this market, let’s go slowly until every vendor gets a stall” Betunga said.
The new Mbarara Central Market accommodates several facilities which include; lock ups [552], stalls [256], pitches [167], food court, restaurant, day care, installed CCTV cameras, fire fighting system, modern toilets, and showers among others.
The said facility was constructed by Roko Construction Company at a contract sum of Shs21bn, which is part of the presidential initiatives under the Markets and Agriculture Trade Improvement Project [MATIP] funded by USD 84.2M [about Shs284b] loan sourced from the African Development Bank [ADB] and USD 9.52M [about 32b] contributed by government to alleviate poverty and improvement of agricultural trade.
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