The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Raphael Magyezi, the Local Government Minister, has ordered the arrest of some officials and a fresh allocation of lockups and stalls in Kabale’s new central market. Magyezi made this announcement during a meeting with disgruntled vendors while presenting the findings of an investigative committee report on Sunday.
The committee was instituted in January 2023 following complaints by vendors about corruption and mismanagement during the relocation exercise. Vendors alleged that municipal authorities, including the Mayor and an Assistant Program Officer, accepted bribes ranging from 2 to 50 million shillings to sell stalls and lockups to undisclosed individuals, civil servants, and their relatives.
Based on the report, Magyezi acknowledged gross corruption through extortion and bribery during the allocation process. Vendors also raised concerns about the poor zoning of the market. Magyezi stated that a fresh registration exercise would be conducted before August 15, 2023, and he would personally chair the relocation committee due to accusations against Kabale municipality leaders regarding the initial exercise.
Sam Arineitwe, the Central Division LC3 Chairman, Rev. Canon Jack Katarishangwa, and Annet Kabagambe welcomed the directive, expressing hope that transparency would be upheld this time. Katarishangwa mentioned the possibility of withdrawing the court case filed against the Municipality if transparency is observed.
Earlier, three members of the Kabale New Central Market Allocation Committee were arrested over allegations of misconduct and gross extortion during the allocation exercise. The suspects are Wilson Agaba, the Kabale Municipality health inspector; Alex Muhumuza, the Chairman of the Relocations team and a registration team member.
The arrests were made on the orders of Magyezi, the Local Government Minister, who is in Kabale to address the findings of an investigative committee led by Ronald Bakak, the Kabale Deputy Resident District Commissioner, and other officials from the Ministry of Local Government.
The committee was established in January 2023 following complaints from some vendors regarding the alleged mishandling of the relocation exercise by municipal authorities, including Mayor Emmanuel Sentaro Byamigisha and Prossy Tuhiriirwe, the Assistant Program Officer in Charge of Community Development in the Ministry of Local Government.
On the other hand, Kabale Municipality Mayor, Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha, strongly refuted all corruption accusations against him, asserting that they were false.
The modern market in Kabale was upgraded by Chong Chong International Construction (CICO), a Chinese company, under the World Bank-funded Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Program (MATIP III). The completed market was handed over to the government in December 2022.
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