Market traders are still shocked following the death of the chairperson of Uganda Markets and Allied Employees Union (UMAEU), John Baptist Kalema.

Kalema, 65, of Nansana municipality in Ganda village, Nabweru sub-county in Wakiso district, has been the chairperson of UMAEU, an affiliate of one of the national trade unions in Uganda called Central Organization of Free Trade Unions-Uganda( COFTU), responsible for organizing and representing market traders on several issues affecting markets in the country.

He died on Saturday (November 11) at Mulago Referral Hospital. Family members are making burial arrangements, according to his widow, Justine Nambira. 
 
"We are shocked about the demise of our national chairperson and we shall always remember him for supporting the government's move of taking over management of its markets from association leaders who were extorting money from poor vendors for over a decade," said Peter Kivumbi, the secretary general of UMEAU, while paying tribute to the late.
 
Kalema is one of the few vendors who started the development agenda of St. Balikuddembe market (formerly Owino), as the secretary general of the vendors' association called St. Balikuddembe Market Stalls, Space and Lock-ups Owners Association-SSLOA (which was behind the process of securing land titles of Owino market from KCCA and subsequent development initiatives that have been taking place lately).

Together with Kampala City market leaders led by the former chairperson of St. Balikuddembe market, Godfrey Kayongo, they started the traders' market union and officially registered it with COFTU, with the aim of having one voice about issues affecting market vendors in the country. 

And it was through such unions, that market vendors managed to take over ownership of the land where their markets are situated, after overthrowing city tycoons like Basajjabalaba, who had secured leases on most of the city markets' land back then.

He has been one of the directors on the SSLOA Board of Directors and an elder in most city markets like USAFI, Wandegeya, Nakasero, Nakawa, Bugolobi, and Kamwokya among others.

According to the tentative burial arrangement from his family members, he will be buried tomorrow (Tuesday, November 14) at Kirinya Village in Bweyogerere parish, Kira sub-county in Wakiso district.