Ntungamo Municipal’s central market, the district’s main hub for fresh produce and food trade, is steadily deteriorating, leaving traders to operate in makeshift stalls and raising questions over long-delayed government promises to rebuild the facility.
According to Ntungamo Municipal Mayor Jacob Jaka Jex Kafureka, the municipality requires over 17 billion shillings to construct a modern market, funding the council says it is still waiting to receive from the Ministry of Finance.
From corridor to corridor, the market is in decay. Cracked walls lean dangerously, sections risk collapse, and muddy, stone-filled floors make movement difficult for vendors and customers alike.
Rooms that once housed traders remain locked and abandoned, while temporary wooden stalls crowd the compound as traders try to salvage their livelihoods.
Long-serving traders say the market’s state is affecting their businesses.
Jova Kasande, who has worked in the market for 30 years, urged political leaders to act: “We need change in this new political term, urging our mayor and MP to be our voice of change.”
Sabei Oshaba highlighted operational challenges: “We cook from these rooms; it gets hot, and we can't store fresh produce in the same spaces.”
Lydia Twine added: “We built outside for better display. This market was not well built. If they construct a better market, we shall adhere just like other bigger markets.”
Another trader noted the uncertainty: “There is a mentality that this market will be demolished and a new structure built. That’s why repairs are not done; some structures are collapsing while others are dilapidated. We have been waiting for years.”
The deteriorating infrastructure has forced some vendors to abandon stalls, while others operate in unsafe conditions, waiting for renovations that remain elusive.
Market leaders say redevelopment plans date back to the mid-1990s but have never moved beyond planning.
“When I arrived in 1995, plans to renovate the market already existed. We became patient waiting for them to materialize, but for more than 20 years we are still waiting. We hope the new MP, Gerald Karuhanga, will help,” said Abius Nagaba, chairman of Ntungamo Municipal Market.
Mayor Kafureeka emphasized that the scale of redevelopment is beyond the municipality’s capacity.
“As the council, we want the market renovated or rebuilt. We want a market like those in Mbarara or Kabale. We have plans for this financial year, but we are waiting on the Ministry of Finance. They promised funds, but we don’t have 17 to 20 billion shillings needed,” he said.
Parts of Ntungamo’s streets remain crowded with vendors, as limited public land makes relocation difficult. Idle plots in the town center exist but are mostly privately owned.
“We are struggling to find land for relocation. We can’t just chase people away. Many are young women, orphans, widows, and young men. We are exploring options to relocate them safely,” Kafureeka added.
Although the municipality’s budget has risen from Shs8.7 billion to Shs13.5 billion this year, largely from the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development, most funding is allocated to roads, leaving the central market redevelopment pending.
