MBARARA CITY LEADERS LASH AT MINISTER MAGYEZI, RCC MWESIGYE OVER CENTRAL MARKET

By Aggrey Twesigye

www.mknewslink.com

In Mbarara—

Leaders in Mbarara city are questioning the manner in which Raphael Magyezi the minister of Local Government has handled the verification process of Mbarara Central market vendors.

Addressing councilors yesterday (Tuesday) during a council meeting held at Mbarara city council hall, Bonny Tashobya Karusya the speaker Mbarara said minister Magyezi has not consulted Mbarara city council for any decision forgetting that Mbarara city council is the land lord of the market.

“We are stakeholders of Mbarara city there is nothing that should be done without seeking for our opinion,” Tashobya explained.

Tashobya also lashed at Mbarara Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Lt. Col. James Mwesigye whom they used to sit with, in meetings concerning allocation of stalls in the newly constructed Mbarara Central market but later decided to chair meetings with minister Magyezi in absence of city leadership.

Robert Mwesigwa Rukari the legislator Mbarara city north told councilors that as area members of parliament they have also been left out concerning the matters of Mbarara Central market.

He wondered how a minister who is always in Kampala neglects the city leadership and resorts to directives on who should be allocated a stall in the newly constructed Mbarara Central market.

“I grew up in Mbarara ,studied from Mbarara Schools and I have moral authority to tell you who was a member in the then Mbarara Central Market, it’s irregular for someone to give orders on who should be allocated a stall in the newly constructed market and that is why we are seeing all these contradictions,” “MP Rukari explained.

However, in his submission the Deputy Mbarara city south Resident City Commissioner Moses Aruho said the minister dismantled the verification process of Mbarara Central market vendors after sensing chaos in the due process.

He added that Mbarara Central market vendors stormed office of Mbarara city Resident City Commissioner complaining of how lists of vendors had some names missing.

“We were requested by the minister of local government to verify and do investigations of the lists which we did and submitted the names of the lists to the minister,” Aruho explained.

In April this year the minister of local government Raphael Magyezi while in Mbarara city interdicted Mbarara city commercial officer James Agaba and his deputy Mutahi Donati for allegedly soliciting bribes from Mbarara Central market vendors before they could be allocated stalls in the newly constructed Mbarara Central market.

The same minister dismantled the operations of a committee chaired by the former Mbarara Central market chairperson Muhammad Nyombi  that was constituted to allocate stalls in Mbarara Central market  and directed the office of Mbarara  Resident city commissioner to monitor the fresh registration of Mbarara Central market vendors by the interim leadership of the market.

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