KCCA wants under developing traders to leave public markets in five years

By Francis Lubega

3^rd Feb 2022

The Kampala Capital City Authority -KCCA wants traders in public markets to be given five years working period before they graduate to either private markets or other places.

KCCA presented the proposal as they were appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Public Service and Local Governments chaired by the Aringa North MP Godfrey Onzima to give their views on the markets bill 2021 brought by Workers MP Margaret Rwabushaija.

The Deputy Executive Director of KCCA David Luyimbazi says that there is a need to define the tenure for people working in markets to promote a number of traders in businesses.

He supplements that once a business graduates to a certain level, the trader should leave the market to another location for other people to operate.

Luyimbaazi further explains that if someone fails to grow his or her business to a certain level after a stipulated period, they should also leave and create space for others.

He says that defining a period of time will help deal with the problem of unnecessary power wrangles brought about by people overstaying in markets.

The Busongora County North MP Sowedi Kitanywa tasked KCCA to explain whether they have plans of preparing the traders to graduate from markets.

The KCCA Manager Commercial Services, Henry Bukenya in response noted that even though markets are supposed to house poor people so that they can earn a living, many have grown their businesses to the level of supermarkets, adding that such people should no longer be housed in markets.