LORD MAYOR ERIAS LUKWAGO on Friday afternoon visited Nakawa Market and engaged with Vendors following their petition in which they raisied concerns on the omissions of KCCA staffs assigned to the market.
They cited undermining of vendors leadership, non payment of utility bills that has caused disconnection of electricity supply to the market, poor sanitation facilities, threats of eviction without compensation by UNRA to make way for the Jinja express highway, alleged harassment of vendors by KCCA enforcement and revenue teams amongst the concerns they said needs to be urgently addressed.
The vendors were particularly aggrieved with KCCA nominated Market Masters/Administrators, who have disregarded and stopped cooperation with vendors leadership in management of the market. Since the enactment of the new Markets Act 2023, the market masters claim that vendors leadership is not recognized by law which has resulted in to challenges in management of vendors affairs but also affected implementation of government programs like Parish Development Model(PDM) in the Market.
While addressing the vendors, the Lord Mayor said indeed the new Markets Act on insistence by the President, unfairly attempts to outlaw the leadership of the vendors’ involvement in management of the markets, however it provides for vendors departmental heads for those dealing in similar commodities, a provision he urged the vendors to use to constitute their leadership in the interim as further measures are explored to challenge the law.
The Lord Mayor instructed the KCCA market administrators to liaise with the vendors leadership and quickly resolve the concerns raised to enable normal resumption of business in the market.
The Mayor of Nakawa urban council Paul Mugambe said, its a violation of the rights of vendors by stopping them to constitute their leadership to manage their own affairs.
The Lord Mayor later joined hundreds of Tomato vendors in celebrating their football victory and made cash donation of one million shillings in support of their team.
Present at the engagements was the Nakawa East MP, Deputy Lord Mayor, City Ministers, Nakawa Urban Division Mayor and Speaker amongst others.
