Minister Raphael Magyezi orders fresh verification for Kabale market vendors
The Minister for Local Government Raphel Magyezi has directed fresh verification exercise of all Kabale central Market vendors.
This comes after President Museveni tasked the local government minister and the vice president to carry out investigations into market ownership and produce a report.
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The directive followed continuous complaints from some of the traders accusing Kabale Municipal authorities led by mayor Emmanuel Byamugisha Sentaro and the Kabale town clerk Justine Barekye of mismanaging the relocation exercise.
According to vendors, the municipal leaders were allegedly involved in soliciting bribes during the allocation of stalls and lockups to unknown individuals, civil servants and even their own relatives.
In response Magyezi took a decisive action by convening a meeting with Kabale Municipality authorities and vendors at Kabale central market.
In January 2023, vendors were relocated back to the newly constructed Kabale central Market in the central division of Kabale municipality.
However, for a third time, the local government minister has intervened in the growing concerns surrounding Kabale Central Market by ordering a fresh verification exercise.
The minister for local emphasized that the re-verification aims at confirming the legitimacy of the vendors operating in Kabale central market.
He revealed that after the verification process, stalls and lockups will be allocated to the actual sitting vendors.
“I am here specifically because we are carrying out a national exercise in all our newly constructed markets and the president on labor day got a report from the workers union that we had handed over these markets to the rich people assisted by the local government officials. Small vendors were being thrown out and those who remained are being over charged. So, the president directed the vice president and myself to investigate in to the matter take action, and give a report to him so am here because of that. We started with vendor verification exercise .We want to be sure that we have the right vendors in place,"Magyezi said.
He said that starting from June,1 vendors will be required to pay revenue, an amount to be approved by the council which will go towards covering market utilities, enhance security, and improve sanitation .
The construction of Kabale central Market started in December 2019 after the central government secured a loan of Shs 23 billion from the African Development Bank-funded Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project.
In February 2023 minister Magyezi formed a special committee to investigate corruption tendencies that allegedly marred the registration and relocation of vendors into the newly opened Kabale Central market in Kabale district.
After the special committee’s report in July 2023, Minister Magyezi again ordered for fresh relocation process of stalls and lockups.
