KCC told to develop Park Yard market plan

Mar 04, 2009

KCC has been told to come up with a re-development plan for 7,000 temporary stalls at the Nakivubo Park Yard Market that was burnt last week.

By Cyprian Musoke and Catherine Bekunda

KCC has been told to come up with a re-development plan for 7,000 temporary stalls at the Nakivubo Park Yard Market that was burnt last week.

In a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, the new local government minister, Adolph Mwesige, said KCC would establish an office at the site to oversee the construction.

He attributed the extent of the damage to thin dry wood used to erect stalls, plastic tarpaulin roofing, flammable merchandise and petrol used by the vendors to clean shoes.

A poorly built structure without provisions for emergency access, escape routes and fire hydrants made rescue efforts difficult, Mwesige added.

This, however, attracted criticism from MPs, who said the Government was “dragging its feet, since the traders were already erecting equally vulnerable structures”.

“The Government should have come up with a plan earlier. What the vendors are using to build is thin dry wood and tarpaulin. The stalls are also congested,” said Bugweri MP Abdu Katuntu (FDC).

Kween MP Arapkissa Yekko (Independent) said the Government had learnt nothing from the recent market fires.

Matheniko MP Abura Pirir (NRM) said the Government needed a sound fire fighting policy, adding that markets also needed fire fighting equipment.

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