In Kampala, a large percentage of traders engage in informal businesses for instance in market centres, public transport, restaurants while others operate along streets. The economic conditions for business growth in Uganda are still unfavourable as most of the businesses are still recovering from the covid-19 lockdown shortcomings. There is limited startup capital among new entrants to the extent that some of the businesspeople sell off their land in the villages to start up businesses in cities.
Most of them decide to join gazetted markets such as St. Balikuddembe (Owino) due to its proximity to the city while others decide to operate along the streets of Kampala. The working conditions under these markets have not been favourable.
They are characterized by leadership/management wrangles, vendors’ mistreatment, exploitation by the so-called landlords who are said to own market lockups, payment of unnecessary fees and unfair rental dues which have made the working conditions unpleasant.
On September 25, 2020, President Museveni issued a directive to disband all market association committees from managing all government markets and abattoirs. He also directed for the election of new leaders to manage these markets. However, the primary motive of streamlining market leadership and ensuring a conducive working environment for the market vendors was not achieved as planned.
Traders have for long been complaining of paying relatively high market dues in form of rent, exploitation from rich business people who own more than one lockup in the market, poor leadership among others. Upon hearing this, the president later directed Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) to do away with old management and initiate the election of new leadership in all public markets in Kampala.
KCCA revealed that the process to take over management of markets from associations as previously directed by President Museveni, has been tarnished by several selfish individuals, irregularities, intertwined with lot politics that have messed up the implementation of the directive. Following the endless efforts to implement the presidential directive, KCCA consequently took over the management of 12 markets and one abattoir in Kampala.
These included; Nateete, Wandegeya, Bugoloobi, Namuwongo 2, Kiswa, Kinawataka, Nakasero, Bukoto, Coty Abatoir, Luzira, Namuwongo 1, Nakawa and Kamwokya. With a lot of irregularities, some markets such as Wandegeya could not fully change management as some vendors were not in support of the process of transition and this resulted in the establishment of an interim leadership led by Madam Mai Nabukenya as the chairperson.
The confusion in the market continued due to leadership dissatisfaction. On March 16, 2021, the Office of the Lord Mayor received a petition signed by 145 vendors expressing dissatisfaction over the process of the election of the interim leaders, accusing them of coordinating lawlessness, distribution of stalls to family and friends, instituting illegal fees in the market and a number of other issues.
“We the vendors are now left out, why don’t we elect our own management team? These rich people are just making money from our sweat” said Lillian Nakiryowa a market vendor in Wandegeya Market, Kampala.
At St. Balikuddembe (Owino) market, the transition process for the market leadership has not been a walk in the park. KCCA executive director appointed Susan Kushaba as the chairperson for the interim leadership while in the first meeting. The appointment of Susan Kushaba did not please most of the market vendors.
This forced KCCA to hold a second meeting on March 12, 2021, where two groups agreed to form a transition committee with Kushaba as chairperson and Hajji Haruna Lubega as the vice. However, vendors are still dissatisfied with the leadership accusing Kushaba of serving the interest of KCCA and not the vendors.
In Usafi market, there are still continued leadership wrangles, poor design of the market and vendors always complain of the low turn-up of customers adding that the market is located a distance away from tax parks that act as a driving factor for customers.
On November 2, 2022, the president again issued a directive to KCCA to fully take over control and management of all public markets in the Kampala metropolitan. President Museveni added that these markets should be owned and managed by the low-income earners instead of being taken by the rich who in turn charge high fees from the wananchi.
The following day KCCA implemented the directive and took over control and management of Wandegeya market from Mai Nabukenya together with her committee who had turned the market into a business unit according to vendors who were jubilating following the closure of their office.
The Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja on her visit to Wandegeya market found out that there are people who are calling themselves landlords, extorting people through exorbitant fees.
“This is a government market, and no one is supposed to be the landlord”, the prime minister commented. For long, public markets in Kampala have had management problems which have left vendors cheated and mistreated by unlawful landlords, levying exorbitant dues, lack of fairness in the lockup distribution and general cleanliness of the market
So What?
KCCA should stop tendering of markets and give the opportunity to vendors to control and manage the affairs of public markets in Kampala. This will reduce market wrangles, high charges, and mistreatment of market vendors.
KCCA should streamline the distribution of lock-ups/market stalls to limit ownership of more than one stall. Parliament should legislate an Act guiding the management of all markets in Uganda to ease legal procedures and minimize arbitrary market leadership.
It is only through streamlining the management of markets, enactment of market vendor-friendly socio-economic policies, that we can have an enabling environment for market vendors to thrive in Uganda. Short of these, market vendors will continue to suffer at the expense of a few selfish individuals.
The authors are researchers at Gateway Research Centre, Uganda
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