Jinja Deputy Resident City Commissioner Henry Kitambula and Jinja City Council Officials faced intense scrutiny on Monday afternoon from vendors at the Jinja Central Market.
The vendors, frustrated by the city council failure to implement and enforce regulations, accused the officials of neglecting their concerns.
Led by Jinja Central Market Chairperson Henry Mujimba, the vendors expressed a range of grievances, including the lack of CCTV cameras, an inaccessible control room, unclear use of vendor payments, an unknown market master, a leaking roof, unaccounted revenue from MTN’s market branding, lack of electricity, and inappropriate behavior from council officials.
Mujimba criticized the city team for not giving vendors sufficient time to address their issues and for failing to implement solutions despite collecting taxes from them.
The vendors also claimed that markets like Karibu Karibu, which were originally intended primarily for food and hotels, are now selling clothes. While Karibu Karibu hosts over 5,000 vendors, Jinja Central Market has fewer than 3,000 vendors. Despite having the potential to generate 100 million shillings monthly, the market only generates 17 million shillings.
Mujimba demanded the appointment of a substantive market master, citing the neglect of vendors. He also cautioned vendors against forming cliques and using divisive language.
Speaker Benard Mbayo noted that he has been following market issues for a long time. He criticized the market’s poor construction, pointing out that water seeps through the sides, damaging goods.
Mbayo denied claims that he owns any stalls in the market, stating that the accusations are baseless. He mentioned a committee appointed by the NRM that oversees the stalls, and advised vendors to await the committee’s completion of its work in the Busia market.
Mbayo also addressed allegations regarding his supposed ownership of a stall, stating that he last entered the market with Minister Raphael Magyezi and Lukiah Nakadama.
In response, Deputy Resident Commissioner Henry Kitambula called for calm among the vendors as the council works to address their concerns. He attributed the market’s problems to differences between officials and corruption by the market manager.
Kitambula announced that a memorandum of understanding between the council and the market would be established immediately to address these challenges. He also committed to monitoring activities around the market and the council.
By Kenneth Wamatoyi
