KCCA appoints team to temporarily manage Wandegeya market

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  | Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA has appointed a team of five officials to temporarily manage Wandegeya market.

They are Tonny Kawagga, James Byaruhanga, Abdul Anguyo, Esther Kasujja and Henry Bukenya who is the markets manager of KCCA. The team was taken from the Directorate of Gender and that of revenue collection.

According to Acting Deputy KCCA Director Sam Sserunkuma, the team will start its work in a weeks’ time and will manage the market until KCCA conducts elections in the market.

Since 2013 when the Ministry of Local Government handed over the market to Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA, there has been no elected leadership in the market. The current leadership led by chairman Jonathan Ggita was temporary appointed by former KCCA Executive Director Jenifer Musisi.

With no substantive leadership, the market has been entangled in leadership conflict with the interim committee facing resistance from some vendors and local leaders in the area who have written several petitions to the office of the Minister for Kampala, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and the president’s office.

The petitioners led by Mutesasira Mawejje, the chairman Katale zone in Wandegeya. They have several times accused Ggita of denying some applicants working space, overstaying and threatening to arrest his opponents.

The most recent petition was filed to the office of the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago on 15th September by Mutesasira Mawejje, Mai Nabukenya, and Joseph Kalema.

It is however not clear yet when the elections will be conducted. KCCA is still waiting for the KCCA market ordinance currently at the office of the Attorney General.

Sserunkuma says they do not know when if the ordinance was ratified by the Attorney General.

The bill that among others seeks to provide a comprehensive licensing regime for permanent, semi-permanent and temporary markets, harmonise market dues and provide a process through which market leaders can be elected under the term limit setting.

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