Museveni reassures Mbarara on new market

By Ebenezer BifubyekaPRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has promised to fulfil his presidential campaign pledge of building Mbarara Central Market.Museveni gave the assurance on Tuesday while touring the market gutted by fire on New Year’s Day.He said when the new market is complete, the original kiosk owners will be given first priority of occupancy.He urged the Police to speed up investigations into the cause of the fire and if it was started intentionally, the culprits should be prosecuted.The LC4 Councillor for Kakoba Division, Eric Kato Rutahigwa, who led Museveni through the market, attributed its destruction to poor planning.Rutahigwa said the municipal council had added more lock-up shops in front of the market’s main entrance and these had barred fire engines from getting in.On New Year’s Day, fire suspected to have originated from an electric short-circuit, burnt over 700 kiosks and stalls in the market. Property estimated at about sh5b was burnt to ashes.