Lukwago wants market ordinance expedited

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has asked Kampala Capital City Authority- KCCA Council to expedite the process of putting in place the KCCA market ordinance.

Speaking during the council sitting on Thursday at City Hall, Lukwago said that the conflicts in markets cannot be resolved without a proper law to streamline management in city markets.

The market ordinance was first passed in 2019 and forwarded to the Attorney General for perusal. After close to a year, the ordinance was returned to KCCA and asked to limit its regulation to public markets since the Market Act 1942, only provides for the establishment of public markets by local governments or authorities.

But before the Amendment could be done, new leaders assumed office. Consequently, the law was re-tabled and forwarded to the Standing Committee for Gender and Production and later presented before Council for consideration. The Council is yet to table the ordinance.

Lukwago says KCCA needs the ordinance to issue guidance on the election of market leaders and general management of city markets.

The Chairperson Gender, Community Services and Production Standing Committee Mosh Ssendi Afrikan, says that the committee will soon start meeting different stakeholders about the ordinance before it is presented to the Council for consideration.

The Deputy Speaker of KCCA, Nasur Masaba is optimistic that the fights in markets shall cease once there is an ordinance in place to guide on management of the markets. He says when KCCA repossessed all public markets in the city, conflicts escalated within different groups claiming to manage the markets.

After the takeover of the markets which was an implementation of the presidential directive, KCCA held elections in different markets including Nakawa, Wandegeya, Nakasero and Owino, but the elections too were contested by some sections of market vendors.

Masaba says it is through a law that KCCA can harmonize issues of leadership, payment of market fees and dues and also the construction of more markets to provide workspace for the urban poor.

The ordinance is expected to be tabled before Council for second reading in the next council sitting.

*****

URN