Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA is in the process of reviewing the register of vendors who will operate in the newly built Busega market in Lubaga division. The government embarked on the construction of the market in 2015 through the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Programme (MATIP) project through joint funding with the Arab Bank of Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).
Construction is more than 99 percent complete, according to officials from the Ministry of Local Government, which is handling the project. They say the stalls are well constructed, the lighting system installed, storage rooms constructed and the floor paved among other works. As works come to a close, Henry Bukenya, the KCCA manager of Commercial Services in charge of Markets, says that they decided to conduct a profile of all vendors to get an updated list of the more than 1000 vendors selling groceries and fish in old lockups and makeshift structures in the old Busega market near the Busega roundabout.
Some vendors sell their merchandise from the walkways due to space limitations in the sorry-looking market. The vendors shall be relocated to the new market a few meters away. Bukenya says that they have constituted a committee of more than five members including vendors to register the vendors to enable them to secure stalls or space in the new market. The officer says that they have involved vendors on the relocation committee such that they can closely identify their colleagues in the market to prevent outsiders from registering as vendors and or people from getting more stalls for purposes of sub-renting.
Complaints of sub-renting stalls and Lock-ups have featured prominently in newly constructed government markets including Wandegeya. Vendors, and sometimes non-vendors secure multiple stalls in markets and subsequently rent them out to vendors at inflated fees. Bukenya says that they don’t want such cases to crop up in Busega that’s why they are registering vendors, both those with stalls and those who are currently employed on people’s stalls such that when there is more space, they can also acquire independent stalls for themselves.
The review of registers is one of the key exercises that the government is conducting as it looks forward to opening the market. In August, the contractors, China National Complete Plant Import and Export Corporation Limited wanted to hand over the market to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja for commissioning but she declined to receive it because of incomplete works. Key among the works was the drainage system on the rooftop, which had not been installed fully plus access roads that were yet to be constructed.
Nabbanja instructed the contractors to complete the works within two months, which ended on October 3rd, 2022. Asked if the works have since been concluded, Bukenya said that they are still ongoing, adding that a contract for the main access road called Mubende Road has already been signed.
He didn’t name the contractor. Last week, the Ministry of local government and KCCA working with security demolished structures that had been constructed in front of the market, in an area planned for the new market parking. It’s not yet clear if the market shall be opened as works on access roads and parking progress. Bukenya says KCCA shall wait for the local government Ministry to hand over the market to them such that they relocate vendors.
The Chairman of Busega market vendors, Ssalongo Bugembe is concerned that the space allocated to fish dealers isn’t enough. His argument is that at the time the plan for the market was drawn, there were only 50 fish dealers and that’s what guided government plans. Over time, he explains, more people have joined the fish business and close to 30 trucks deliver fish to the market daily.
He urged the government to purchase a nearby plot of land to allow for the expansion of the fish section. Ssalongo Bugembe further asked the government to expedite the construction of the old Mubende road which is the main access road to the market. He also asked that the slip lane be extended from the Northern bypass to the market for easy access by customers using the Northern bypass. The Chairman also asked the government to expedite works to create a front outside parking space.
This area is planned as a parking space for customers and offloading trucks but had been occupied by people who set up structures, in which they operated several businesses. He says the road infrastructure and parking are key components of the market that make it more friendly and attractive to prospective customers.
Responding to the query about the number of fish vendors growing, Henry Bukenya said that although the initial general count of vendors was somewhat 1262 people, the market is constructed to accommodate over 2000 vendors. He explains that even if the number has grown, there is room to accommodate more vendors.
The markets constructed by the government target the less privileged people running businesses with small capital. Although fees for the new Busega market have not been set yet, the government intends to ask for a maximum of 140,000 shillings annually from each vendor. The market has stalls, Lock-ups, cooking stoves for the kitchen, the cold room, and lighting.
The Arab Bank of Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) financed the first phase of the construction works of the facility at 5.42 million US dollars ( approximately 19 Billion Shillings) while the Government of Uganda bankrolled the second phase to the tune of 6.8 million US dollars (approximately 23.8 Billion Shillings).
