Meat traders vow to stay put

Sep 28, 2011

TRADERS operating at the Kampala City Abbatoirs on Port Bell Road have vowed not to vacate the premises in spite of being told to leave by the owner Hassan Basajjabalaba.

By Brian Mayanja

TRADERS operating at the Kampala City Abbatoirs on Port Bell Road have vowed not to vacate the premises in spite of being told to leave by the owner Hassan Basajjabalaba.

During the tense meeting held in the morning, the traders unanimously agreed to camp at the city abattoir until they met President Museveni.

“In August we told the local government minister that we were the sitting vendors and traders. The President’s directive is clear on parties which are responsible for redeveloping markets and managing them,” said Wilberforce Muteesasiira, one of the traders.

Traders under their body, the City Abattoir Traders Development Association, also asked KCCA to start regulating dues.

“Traders are ready to pay dues provided KCCA regulates and institutes proper mechanism of collecting them,” said a city trader.

They said Jennifer Musisi, the KCCA boss, had told them the lease was under review; so they were waiting for the results.

Edward Wamala, the traders’ defence secretary, accused Basajjabalaba Hides and Skins, a firm owned by businessman Hassan Bassajjabalaba of levying un-receipted fees.

Meanwhile, the wrangles between the traders and its administrators have led to the reduction in the number of animals slaughtered daily. Hajji Kassim Kateregga, a trader, said they had been slaughtering over 50 animals.

“By midday, we had not yet slaughtered 20 animals. This is because some people think the place is insecure,” he explained.

The traders’ chairman, Abbey Mugumba and his deputy, Hajji Badru Mwnajje, were arrested on Sunday over the wrangle.

Yesterday, despite heavy deployment of Police, business was normal at the abattoir.

However, Wamala said Bassajjabalaba had cut off water and power. “Since Thursday, we have been fetching water from outside the abattoir,” he said.

Last Friday, the abattoir was closed over dues. Accordingly, beef prices shot up to sh10,000 from sh7,000. The price seems to be normalising now.

Police threaten to close city abattoir over wrangles
The Police yesterday urged the groups wrangling over the Kampala City abattoir on Port Bell Road to quickly resolve their differences.

Ibin Ssenkumbi, the deputy Kampala Police spokesperson, told journalists at the Central Police Station in Kampala that some people were using the wrangle to advance their selfish motives.

“We advise these people to resolve their differences amicably this week otherwise the Police will have no option, but to forcefully close the place,” Ssenkumbi said at the weekly press briefing.

The unending wrangle, he said, was causing unnecessary tension, posing a security threat.

The abattoir wrangle pits the city businessman, Hassan Basajjabalaba, who operates a hides and skin company and manages the place, against another faction opposed to him.

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