Museveni orders disbandment of leadership for all Kampala markets, abattoirs

President Museveni has ordered for the immediate disbandment of all the leaders for Kampala government markets and abattoirs.

According to a September 25, 2020 letter to the Kampala Minister, Betty Amongi, Museveni said he is fed up of the hijacking of markets and abattoirs in Kampala by people who later become leaders of the various associations in these public places but end up exploiting the other members of the public.

“The 16 government markets with 122400 sellers and six abattoirs with 280 slaughters are being exploited by the cliques of leaders that hijack the associations and collect money in form of taxes from the people,” Museveni said in the letter.

He explained that when a lorry arrives in the market, it is made to pay between shs50,000 and shs70,000, whereas traders who enter with matooke are forced to pay between shs1000 and 3000 per bunch but also asked to pay shs12500 for putting merchandise on their stalls.

For the outside markets, Museveni said he has been informed that each trader is asked to pay shs300,000 per month but also sh2000 per day , shs200 to use the toilet per visit, shs500 per jerrycan of water and shs880 per unit of electricity.

The President explained that this exploitation is against his directives aimed at stopping multiple taxation in which he guided that there should be only one annual fee of shs78000 for using the market.

“ I, therefore, with immediate effect direct that you remove from the government markets the association leaders that have been making these mistakes and the sellers elect under your supervision new leaders,” Museveni says in the directive addressed to the Kampala Minister.

The President noted that he has been informed that the association leaders have registered themselves as the proprietors of the markets instead of the vendors’ associations.

“Let all these association leaders stand aside so that the situation is understood better. The idea was that the government should repossess its markets and the private people that had tried to grab these markets should be compensated for the little they put in if at all.”

Museveni’s directive comes on the backdrop of wrangles over leadership in several government markets, especially in Kampala.

For example in St.Balikuddembe market, commonly referred to as Owino, there is a rift between St Balikuddembe Market Produce Traders and Vendors Co-operative Society and St Balikuddembe Market Stalls, Space and Lock-ups Shop Owners Association (SSLOA) led by Godfrey Kayongo and is currently managing the market.

SSLOA is accused of trying to sell off the market.

Recently, Kayongo said his committee would resist the government takeover.