Elias Lukwago, the Lord Mayor of Kampala Capital City Authority has resolved to visit city markets to establish the availability of spaces allocate to evicted street vendors. He resolved this in a meeting with city councilors, Kampala Woman MP Nabilah Naggayi and leaders of the evicted street vendors. According to Lukwago prior to the eviction he held another meeting last evening with the commandant metropolitan police Andrew Kaweesa, Director Operations Grace Turyagumanawe, Moses Kafero and DPC Norman Musinga.
He also had a telephone conversation with the Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Kale Kaihura imploring police not to forcefully evict the vendors in vain. Lukwago says despite the brutality and deployment by police, he will not sit back and let matters take their own course. The Mayor says they are going ahead to make arrangements for the city street vendors on how they can be re-organised. Tomorrow the mayor, councilors and some MP’s will visit several markets to ascertain if the spaces are available.
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But Jennifer Musisi, Kampala Capital City Authority Executive says they have been coordinating with different commercial officers who assured her of available space in the markets. He says that Kamwokya market has about 200 spaces and the Makindye officers informed her of other spaces in the markets in the area.
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The Interim general secretary Kampala city parks vendors association Mukasa Ronald Kyewalabye says they do not contest the fact that there are various stalls in markets, but their fear is they are very expensive. Mukasa says investing in the stalls will mean using all their capital.
Mukasa is demanding they hold a meeting with Musisi to share ideas how to go about their eviction. They also want to be recognized officially instead of being referred to as illegal vendors.
Musisi revealed that in the medium term, government is looking at procuring a piece of land to build a modern market. She adds that there is a major project to renovate six markets starting with Wandegeya under the World Bank Funding in which the market will be changed into a multi storeyed setting.
