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KASESE - Kasese district's Mpondwe Lhubiriha town council and Isango sub-county leaders have for long wrangled over the management of the cattle market at the Ugandan-DR Congo border.

Part of the dispute is over who takes the lion's share of the collected revenue from the sale of livestock at the facility.

With an annual revenue of shillings 500 million to one billion, the leaders have on many occasions disagreed over the location of the cattle holding market so as to gain the capacity to collect the huge revenue.

This has seen the market at some point operate at Isango and most times in Mpondwe after the intervention of various authorities including security, political leadership, and the local government ministry.

Located a few metres from the borderline, Isango sub-county has government-owned land gazatted for a cattle holding market. However, unlike Isango, which has free land, Mpondwe Lhubiriha town council rents the land on which it wants the livestock market to sit. 

Speaking to New Vision Online on April 9, 2024, at his office at Kasese municipality's Rukoki ward Kasese Chief Administrative officer (CAO) Erias Byamungu said they have embarked on revenue sharing for the two administrative units.

This means that each unit will earn over shillings 250 million annually so as to ensure the financing of various infrastructures and service delivery.

"After a critical analysis of all these events, we have decided that the traders take a lead in deciding where to operate from," he said.

Therefore, two markets have been created after requests from the traders.

Lost revenue due to the previous fights

Byamungu said the previous fights saw the district lose revenue for close to four months due to the closure of the market when some groups of traders were battling in courts of law.

"We also realised that some traders were collecting money without accountability," Byamungu said.

Cattle dealers speak out

Nicholas Mwebaze, one of the cattle traders, said the conflict over the cattle market cost him and his colleagues over shillings 100 million, which they had paid to Isango sub-county to win the tender of collecting revenue.

"We have sold off everything to minimise the bank debts," Mwebaze said.

Boaz Kafuda, another trader, said the conflicts between the two lower local governments disrupted their cattle trade adding that sometimes they would bring cows to the market only to find it closed yet they paid heavily to transport the animals.

Leaders speak out

Isango LC3 chairperson Moses Tsutsu said since the shifting of the market for the last two years to the town council, Isango has had crippled service delivery as their main source of revenue, which was close to shillings 300 million was no more.

He also revealed that the introduction of shifts in the operations of the cattle market will give them a chance to operate again hence a huge relief.

CAO responds

Responding to the plea for compensation by some traders who lost their revenue during the conflict, Byamungu urged them to go to court.