Moses Mulondo and Joshua Kato
13 August 2008
Kampala — Markets are a leading source of revenue for local governments. However, wrangling in recent years has cost local governments millions. For instance, KCC is supposed to collect at least sh100m per month from St. Balikudembe Market. However, during the wrangles, it went over three months without collecting any revenue. Sh44m was supposed to be collected from Nakasero Market but during the squabbles over its re-development, KCC spent months without collecting the money. This was also the case with Shauri-yako market, Nakawa, Natete and Kisekka markets.
Every financial year, KCC targets sh4bn revenue from markets. Overall, KCC loses at least sh2bn because of market wrangles - a 50% loss.
Now, the wrangling is taking a new turn with political groups, especially NRM and DP fighting over some of the markets in Rubaga Division.
Ndeeba and Wankulukuku markets politicised
Ndeeba market is located on the right side of the Kibuye roundabout and has a railway line running through it. It has about 400 stalls and every stall is acquired at sh100,000. Every vendor pays a daily fee of sh500. There are over 2,000 traders in the market.
The wrangles in this market are no longer about money collected, but about political strength. The fight for the Ndeeba Market has pitted National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters in the area against opposition supporters led by the area councilor, James Ssekidde. Ssekidde belongs to DP, while Fred Kazibwe is the NRM chairman in the area.
In Wankulukuku, a group believed to be supporters of NRM has taken over the market. The area MP, Susan Nampijja Lukyamuzi, on June 9, 2008, was roughed up by the Police as she tried to engage the two groups to resolve their wrangles. "This is politics. It is no longer ordinary market wrangles," she said.
A fight erupted between NRM supporters and DP supporters over its ownership and administration. The confrontation involved NRM kanyamas (bouncers) led by area NRM chairman Fred Kazibwe and the G6 pentagon command, led by Ssekidde.
G6 Pentagon is a group of youth politicians, mainly from the opposition DP and FDC who normally take part in political debates and demonstrations. The administrative office of the market was burnt, down allegedly by the DP and several suspects were arrested, but released on bond. Of course, traders lost their goods in the process.
The 'battle' was finally won by the NRM group who immediately restored the office and resumed the collection of market dues from the vendors.
In Wankulukuku Market, NRM supporters led by Joram Kaddu, the Kabowa parish chairman took over the market in July. According to a letter to the RDC of Rubaga, written on July 24, the group, claiming to be leaders of Kabowa, where the market is located, claimed they took over the market because KCC was mismanaging it. The RDC, however, said she was not party to the take-over of the market.
On June 17, 2008 Nampijja went back to the market and directed the vendors not to give anyone market dues until the conflict is resolved. However, two days later, the Lubaga RDC Zainah Muwonge held a meeting in the market in which she gave a directive to the vendors to give their market dues to the NRM group headed by Kazibwe.
The NRM faction claims the land was donated by President Yoweri Museveni to NRM supporters in the area. "In 2000, we as Ndeeba NRM mobilisers went to the president's office asking him to give us the market. He ordered Nduhura, who works in his office to help us acquire a lease from Uganda railways Corporation," Kazibwe says.
"We registered the market project as Twegatte Ndeeba Women's Group. The group was given the land on condition they would remit sh400,000 every month to Uganda Railways Corporation. But, with the backing of former area RDC Fred Bamwine in 2003, Ssekidde and councilor Richard Miiro hijacked our project," Kazibwe says. He adds that the new administrators, led by Ssekidde were not paying that commission to URC which has accumulated to 28m in arrears.
"That is why we demand that Ssekidde and Miiro pay that debt because it emerged in the period they were running the market," Kazibwe said. James Ssekidde, however, said they could not pay to URC and KCC because the other group had stopped vendors from paying the dues.
Ssekidde said he has written a letter to President Yoweri Museveni, asking him to intervene and resolve the wrangles which have put his life in danger.
Kazibwe and his group are charging the vendors sh200 daily and sh10,000 monthly for those with stalls. "Since June when we repossessed the market, we have collected sh4m. We used part of this money to clean the market and have kept some," Kazibwe said.
The acting Lubaga division chairperson, Charles Mulindwa said: "Those in charge of managing the market are probably causing these wrangles to justify their continued defiance as regards giving us the money."
Nobody knows when the fighting will end.
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