On the morning of Tuesday 15th October 2022, KCCA executive Director Dorothy Kisaka got up at the crack of dawn and led her team to Kiseka market to ensure the recharge of the market goes on minus any chaos.
“We have come to take over and grade this part of the land that is vacant so that our people who have nowhere to trade can find a place to trade,” Kisaka said amidst cheers from the vendors.
The peaceful exercise began by bringing down a hoarding fence that had been constructed around the vacant land.
“As you know we did an operation and cleared the streets and most of those hawkers have nowhere to trade from. For us we want to grade this area and our task force will ensure that the right people come and they start trading here,” she added.
This peaceful exercise began by bringing down an enormous fence that had been constructed around the vacant land.
Graders and other equipment to level the land were also on standby and by the time the ED left Kiseka market they had started preparing the place for occupancy by the vendors.
The executive director Kisaka Dorothy said that they are going to put in place an environment that will enable people to start operating on this place as we plan to start constructing a permanent facility.
KCCA has put in place a task force to see the market issues in all 16 government markets in Kampala to have a smooth implementation of the presidential directives. The task force will also guide on who will operate these markets.
Kiseka Market, like many others in Kampala, sits on leased land whose perpetual owner is Uganda Land Commission.
One part of the plot is developed already with the multi-storied building standing there. The other part remains vacant and undeveloped. It’s that undeveloped portion whose lease had run out prompting ULC to prepare for re-entry.
In his letter, President Museveni directed that there will be no renewal of the vendors’ lease in the undeveloped portion of the market and ensured that they excluded where there is a building since it was built with the vendor’s money.
The president urges that if the government market land is leased to the present vendors how about the future ones?
These directives among others were issued to the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs Hajat Minsa Kabanda stressing that all government markets be under KCCA.
The President’s directive also called for kicking private tenderers or landlords to be kicked out of KCCA markets because they tend to be very insensitive and exploitative towards poor vendors.
Museveni also directed that KCCA ensure vendors take responsibility for trading in this area based on one stall per vendor and pay minimal rent to the KCCA directly.
The idea of government markets is that of nursery schools in a business where beginners sell in it and when they grow in business, they graduate to rich areas of the town.
This is all done in fulfilment of the Presidential directives on the management of markets in Kampala, The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has taken charge of Kiseka Market.
