Locals and vendors operating in Kagadi market are not happy with the state of their market saying that every time it rains, they hardly can work.
The Kagadi town council leadership claim they have made efforts to remind the government of the unfulfilled promise to build for them a modern market worth 15 billion since 2017, but this is not forthcoming.
In the middle of Kagadi town just behind the commercial business buildings is where Kagadi daily market is located.
Josephine Karungi one of the vendors says most of the merchandise gets spoilt by rain while under the sun vegetables dry out and hardly can they sell them to customers.
"It's very unfortunate, when it rains our things goods get spoilt, and under serious sun people who sell tomatoes, green papers, cassava and other food stuffs are into losses,"Karungi said.
Karungi's experience is shared by Clare Tusiime another vendor in the market, who says when it rains their make shifts are blown off, exposing their goods to rain and the end result is losses.
"We are for sure tired of this situation. When it rains our buvera run off, even these with iron made shifts run off. We have talked but it looks like no one cares for us," Tusiime lamented.
The vendors say they have also made appeals to their leaders in vain.
"Every time we get into politics since 2010, politicians come here and promise how they are going to construct for us a market but after voting, they never even come to see how we are managing the situation. Now that it is close to 2026, they are going to come," Janepher Nyakato said.
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The Kagadi town council mayor Geoffrey Businge says, they understand the plight of market vendors, but as a town council they can't raise the needed shs15 billion for the market construction.
"We have written letters to the ministry of local government asking to have a market constructed but they have never responded to us, and as a town council we can't raise all that money to have a modern market," Businge noted.
Geoffrey Mugisa, the town clerk notes that once the market is worked on and modernized, it will stimulate development in the town council coupled with increased revenues.
"Because of the situation of the market, many end up leaving and have to rent commercial buildings. Remember here we have to tax them, and given their business, it means they are into losses. If we gotten this market, it will stimulate development, bring trade order in the town council, but also raise our revenue collection,"Mugisa said.
