Secure markets are key to urban wealth creation, says Museveni

_____________________

President Yoweri Museveni on Monday commissioned the newly constructed Busega Central Market in Rubaga Division, Kampala, as he kicked off a week-long tour aimed at assessing the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) and advancing the government’s wealth creation agenda in the capital.

Accompanied by First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Museveni, the President toured the facility, interacting with vendors and inspecting the market complex. Speaking to a gathering of local leaders, market stakeholders, and residents, Museveni hailed the market as a strategic step in improving urban livelihoods.

“I’m very happy to see that here you’re engaged in wealth creation through the services sector by selling what is produced by other people,” he said. “What you needed was a clean, safe, and secure place to work from.”

Constructed under the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Programme (MATIP) with support from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the market officially opened to vendors in November 2024. It now accommodates over 2,800 traders and is expected to boost commerce not only in Rubaga Division but across the wider Kampala area.

Museveni used the occasion to underscore the role of the services sector in wealth creation, alongside manufacturing, ICT, artisanship, and both large- and small-scale commercial agriculture. He noted that with the new facility, traders would no longer have to worry about inclement weather.

“Now, in this building, the advantage is that you don’t have to remove your merchandise from the rain. They’re now secure,” he said. “Previously, I used to see you on the streets struggling during the rain. I don’t know how you managed that time.”

The President also welcomed a proposal by the market leadership to construct a road connecting the Northern Bypass directly to Busega Market, which he described as a smart move that would increase customer access and support business growth.

However, he criticised opposition Members of Parliament representing Rubaga Division for failing to push for such infrastructure needs, saying their absence from government structures limited local development.

“The market is a big project provided centrally by the government, like any other market in the city. But the small roads, like the one from the Northern Bypass to your market, I didn’t know about, because the Member of Parliament who would have told me is not there,” Museveni said.

His comments followed concerns raised by Jimmy Kawuma, chairperson of the Busega Market Vendors, who appealed to the President for a better access road.

“Customers find it hard to access the market, and our perishable products, such as fish, are rotting. We shall be very grateful for that road,” Kawuma said, while also thanking the President for relocating vendors from the streets to a safer, more organised environment.

In response, Museveni promised to engage Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki on acquiring additional land next to the market. The extra space would accommodate over 700 fish traders in need of expansion.

To bolster grassroots economic activities, the President capitalised three SACCOS with sh100 million each: Busega United Fish Dealers and Processors SACCO, Busega Market SACCO, and Tuli Bumu Drivers SACCO. An additional sh50 million was pledged to a SACCO for Muslim sheikhs operating in the area.

Turning to politics, Museveni urged Rubaga residents to be more discerning in future elections, warning against electing leaders who fail to follow up on government programmes like PDM.

“Please vote well, because where I have been, they’ve been telling me that the PDM money is not reaching them, and somewhere, money is being stolen. I also blame them for electing opposition representatives who don’t demand or follow up on what belongs to them,” he said. “I can come to try and solve your problem, but you need someone near you, say a Member of Parliament, who can follow up. I want you to liberate your area.”

Kampala minister Hajjat Minsa Kabanda praised Museveni for his commitment to transforming urban trade through new markets and improved management systems. She pledged that with continued collaboration between KCCA and NRM leadership, Kampala would become more organised and economically productive.

KCCA executive director Buzeki updated the President on vendor registration efforts and progress in market organisation, noting that Busega Market currently has 2,836 registered vendors, though about 300 stalls remain unclaimed.

She said the vendor registration drive was being undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Police, Internal Security Organisation (ISO), and other key stakeholders.

President Museveni’s Kampala tour, running under the theme of urban economic development through PDM, will include meetings with youth groups, market associations, local leaders, and the media. The tour will culminate in a major public rally at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Sunday, July 20, 2025.

The Busega market commissioning was attended by several high-profile government officials, including Government Chief Whip Hamson Denis Obua, ministers, KCCA staff, and NRM leaders.