Museveni wants city market leaders ousted

President Yoweri Museveni has called for the disbandment of the leadership of government markets in Kampala.

The President said the leaders had hijacked the markets and imposed unwanted dues on vendors.

In a September 25 letter to Kampala minister Betty Amongi titled, Issues Concerning Markets and Rufulas in Kampala', Museveni says the issue of hijacking markets and abattoirs has "gone on for too long".

The President has instead proposed that vendors elect leaders under the supervision of the Kampala minister.

"I, therefore, with immediate effect, direct that you remove from the government markets the ‘association leaders' that have been making these mistakes and the sellers elect, under your supervision, new leaders. The damning indictment for these association leaders is that some of them registered themselves as the proprietors of the markets instead of the association of sellers (vendors)," he said.

He called upon the current leaders of city markets, especially those who head government-owned markets, to step aside.

"Let all these association leaders stand aside so that the situation is understood better.

I am told that the issue of compensating these imposters is also being messed up by the colluders. The idea was that the Government should repossess its markets and the private people that had tried to grab them should be compensated for the little they put in, if at all. I now hear that compensation is moving very fast but repossession and illegal multiple taxation are not mentioned at all," he added.

Govt to take over markets

There are 16 government markets in Kampala with 122, 400 vendors and six slaughter abattoirs, employing with 280 butchers.

Owino Market, Museveni added, has 100,000 traders, Nakasero Market 1,600, Kisseka Market 20,000 and Bugolobi Market 8,000.

"However, all those (traders/ sellers) are being exploited by cliques of leaders that hijack these associations. These association leaders collect taxes from the people.

He cited the case of lorries that ferry matooke.

"When a lorry arrives, it pays between sh50,000-70,000.

When you enter the gate, you pay between sh1,000 or sh3,000 per bunch. Stall owners pay sh12,500 per month," Museveni said, adding that many traders have over time decried payment of other dues such as sh200 for toilet use per visit, sh500 per 20 litres of water yet the average market price for the same amount of water is sh50.

The traders, he said, are also forced to pay sh880 per unit of electricity yet the sector price of a unit is sh750.

The President has also called for the implementation of the sh78,000 annual tax levies instead of collecting multiple taxes from vendors.

"All this is contrary to my directives that aimed at stopping multiple taxation.

Apart from the annual fee for using the market, which should be sh78,000, any other tax measures should only be put with the agreement of the central government and it should be, preferably, only one tax — so that the tax measures are two: annual and one other," he said.

Minister summons meeting

Kampala minister Betty Amongi has called for an urgent meeting of all stakeholders, including current market leaders, to discuss issues raised by the President.

"Due to a number of issues related to markets in Kampala city, the President directed that the current market "association leaders" be removed from management so that sellers (vendors) are able to elect new leaders, and to: stop multiple collection of various fees being charged by the current market leaders and implement an annual fee of sh78,000," she wrote in her October 8 letter to all city division mayors inviting them for a meeting at the Office of the President.

Amongi's discussion with stakeholders, which started on October 8, was expected to resume Monday.

Some of the members of the current market leadership have welcomed Museveni's directive. "Owino Market shifted from a public interest good to a private/family business for the benefit of a family and a few collaborators mainly," Suzan Kushaba, the leader of women at Owino Market, said.

"These opportunists continue to suffocate equity-seeking voices of the poor vendors with savage brutality," she added.

Markets

The ideal markets whose issues must be addressed immediately are: St. Balikuddembe (Owino), Nakasero, Kiseka, Bugolobi, Usafi, Nateete, Wandegeya, Nakawa and Kasubi.

The Rufulas are: City abattoir, Uganda Meat Industries (under renovation), Wankulukulu, Kalerwe I&II and Wambizi (for pigs).