By The Chairperson of St Balikuddembe (Owino) Market, Ms Susan Kushaba has said she will hand over operations of the market to the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka, peacefully.
During the meeting with Ms Kisaka in Kampala on Monday, Ms Kushaba said: “My traders are ready to work with KCCA to develop this market further. They are not interested in old leadership or any confusing clicks but the KCCA management. However, KCCA should sort the issue of landlords who continue to harass and threaten vendors.”
This follows President Yoweri Museveni’s directive to KCCA to disband the leadership in all public markets in Kampala and take control.
Ms Kisaka made an impromptu visit to the market on Monday and assured the vendors that KCCA is taking over full administration of the markets for effective leadership and operations.
“I decided to come on the ground after hearing contradictions to make the President’s message clear. The government wants harmony in markets. He does not want his people to suffer at the hands of landlords or exploitative leadership but rather have law and order in the market so that everyone can trade in peace,” she said.
The executive director revealed that she will soon be deploying market masters and asked the vendors to welcome them peacefully.
“The market is like a school. A school has a headmaster or headmistress. At KCCA, the headmistress who is in charge of the administration is the ED. Every school has a bursar, to collect money on behalf of the headmistress. So I will bring a bursar in the market to collect all the money that goes to KCCA,” she added.
“Like in each school, there can be school prefects, but they are not part of the administration and cannot collect money on behalf of the bursar or do administrative work on behalf of the headmistress. Therefore, vendors will not collect money or handle administration.”
Ms Kisaka said the transition will be executed after receiving the handover report from the old leadership of markets.
Regarding the stall rent rates that will be paid by the vendors, Kisaka said that these will be announced later.
KCCA has already taken over 16 public markets including; Wandegeya, Owino/St. Balikudembe, Nakasero, Bugoloobi, Nateete, Busega, Nakawa, Kiswa, Luzira, Usafi, Kasubi, Kamwokya, Kinawataka, Kiseka, Namuwongo I, and Numuwoongo II.
