By Ambrose Kweronda
www.kneslink.com
In Kabale—
The Minister for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, has withdrawn 204 lockups previously rented to prominent city leaders, civil servants at Kabale market and reassigned them to low-income vendors, in a move aimed at restoring the original purpose of the market as a facility intended to benefit poor people.
Speaking during the exercise to regularize the allocation of market lockups at Kabale central market in Kabale municipality, the minister revealed that out of the 480 stores in the market, 204 had been rented to prominent leaders in the city, leaving the intended beneficiaries struggling to secure business premises.
Barugahara said the decision follows revelations that a significant number of the market’s facilities had been taken up by influential individuals instead of the vulnerable traders who were supposed to benefit from the government-supported project.
He said he had decided to withdraw all the 204 lockups from the previous occupants and reallocate them to poor vendors, insisting that public resources must serve the people for whom they were intended.
The minister explained that the market was established to provide affordable business opportunities for low-income earners and should not become a preserve of politically connected or financially influential individuals.
Barugahara disclosed that he had already signed 204 occupancy agreements with the new beneficiaries, with 157 agreements signed earlier and another 47 added in the latest exercise.
He said the signing of the agreements was intended to give the beneficiaries security and assurance that they would not be arbitrarily removed from the premises after being allocated the lockups.
The minister also revealed that some vendors had been hesitant to come forward because of fear and alleged intimidation by individuals who had previously controlled the allocation process.
He, however, assured the traders that once they obtained the official agreements, their occupancy would be protected, urging those who had not yet come forward to take advantage of the exercise.
Barugahara warned leaders against exploiting their positions to take facilities meant for disadvantaged members of the community, saying the government would not tolerate the misappropriation of opportunities intended for ordinary citizens.
The minister further raised concerns about alleged irregularities within the municipal administration, accusing some officials of colluding to create fictitious landlords within the system.
According to Barugahara, the market was constructed on government land using a loan obtained by the Government of Uganda, meaning that the government remains the rightful owner of the land, while the municipality acts as its custodian.
He questioned how individuals could allegedly position themselves as landlords or control access to the facilities when the land and the market were established through government resources.
Barugahara said the municipality’s responsibility is to manage the public facility in the interests of the community rather than allow individuals to manipulate the allocation process for personal gain.
He maintained that the withdrawal and reassignment of the lockups was intended to end such practices and restore accountability in the management of public markets.
The minister’s intervention also highlights the broader challenge of ensuring that government-funded infrastructure directly benefits its intended users, particularly small-scale traders who depend on affordable trading spaces to earn a living.
Barugahara has therefore called on city leaders to respect the rights of poor traders and desist from taking over opportunities reserved for them.
The government officially took over Kabale Central Market on December 1, 2022, following its handover by the contractor, China Chongqing International Construction Corporation (CICO), to the Ministry of Local Government and Kabale Municipal Council authorities. The 23-billion-shilling facility was constructed under the World Bank-funded Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Programme (MATIP III), with construction works commencing in 2019.
