Roadside vendors dealing in perishable fresh produce along the Kampala–Masaka highway have appealed to Common Man’s Party (CMP) presidential candidate Mubarak Munyagwa Sserunga, popularly known as ‘Mugati gwa Butter,’ to construct a modern market equipped with proper storage facilities if elected to office.
The appeal was made earlier this week as Munyagwa traversed Nabbuzi Village in Kammengo Sub-county, one of several stopovers on his mobilisation tour across Mpigi District. Vendors cited significant post-harvest losses and inadequate infrastructure as their most urgent challenges.
Teddy Naggayi, a produce vendor in Nabbuzi, explained that traders incur major financial losses due to the lack of reliable storage.
“We put in a lot of money to buy these goods, but customers are not buying at the same rate because of the abject poverty in the community. We end up losing everything because the produce perishes,” she said.
Ivan Lukwata, another resident, criticised the continued imposition of local market dues despite the traders’ struggling conditions.
“Much of the produce ends up spoiling, yet we are still charged market dues. We should not be paying such taxes because we already pay them indirectly on items like sugar and salt,” he said.
In addition to infrastructure needs, the traders and farmers urged Munyagwa to remove taxes on essential agricultural inputs such as seeds, pesticides, and fertilisers. They argued that reducing the cost of production would significantly improve yields and strengthen household incomes.
During his visits to Nabyewanga, Kakoni, Kayabwe, Nabusanke, Buwama, and Mitalamaria, Munyagwa criticised the current government under the National Resistance Movement (NRM), claiming farmers have been sidelined despite forming the backbone of Uganda’s economy.
He pledged that a CMP-led government would focus on boosting agricultural production and expanding export opportunities.
“Nothing stops them from exporting to Saudi Arabia or Dubai. We’ll ensure we invest heavily in production, export more, and widen the international market for their goods,” he said.
Munyagwa encouraged residents to rally behind candidates advocating for political change and urged them to reconsider supporting the NRM at any level.