By: Denis Opoka
Kitgum
Allocation of space to vendors at the newly constructed Main Market in Kitgum Municipality has begun.
The six-day allocation exercise that started on Wednesday, December 6th, is spearheaded by Prossy Tuhirirwe, the Assistant Program Officer- Market and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project-2.
According to the road map, the exercise will end on December 12, 2023, and the vendors will commence to use it on January 10th, 2024.
Patrick Ocan Ocitti, the Deputy Town Clerk of Kitgum Municipal, said once the allocation is complete, the vendors with complaints will be allowed to file their complaints to the Municipal Council.
“After this, we shall start receiving complaints from aggrieved vendors according to the guideline and addressing them immediately before January 10th, when the activities at the market will start.
Ocitti said the market will boost development in the district and be a business hub for the other East Acholi districts.
Alfred Ocan, the secretary of Kitgum Main Market Vendors, said allocating the stalls and lockup shops started slowly but is moving on well due to the cooperation of vendors with teams allocating the spaces.
Ocan revealed that the allocation started with fish vendors, vegetables, tomatoes, fruits, chickens, produce sellers and blacksmiths, among others. The lockup shop owners will get theirs last on Tuesday, December 12th.
Ocan appealed to the vendors to concentrate on their businesses and not let the disunity that caused the split of the Kitgum Main Market Vendors Association into two parts in 2018 recur.
Margaret Ataro, one of the vendors applauded the government for the modern market, saying the facility will boost business.
“This kind of development will create job opportunities not only for the vendors but the other jobless youths in the region,” Ataro said.
New market to reduce on costs
Hakim Shafik, a dealer in general merchandise, said the exercise of allocating the stall has given hope and brought financial relief.
“Many have been spending millions of shilling in renting rooms from private individuals since they were pushed out of the market to pave the way for the construction of the multi-billion market”, Shafik said.
Patrick Paul Kidega, the Deputy Mayor of Kitgum Municipality, called on the political and technical leaders to fully support the allocation of the stalls and lockups to allow the vendors to occupy the facility and begin doing their business from there.
“Speak in one voice as leaders to allow the vendors to utilize the facilities in the market well since it has cost the government billions of shillings to construct,” Kidega noted.
Kidega advised the vendors to concentrate on doing their business and not get entangled in politics.
RDC calls for proper utilization
Jimmy Ssegawa Ebil, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Kitgum, said the construction of the new market shows government commitment in developing all regions and districts in Uganda equally.
Ebil said it is now upon the vendors to ensure they use the facility properly.
“It will be shameful if the facilities in the market are destroyed within a short duration, yet the people of Kitgum requested it from the government,” Ebil said.
Kitgum Main Market is one of the 12 Market Infrastructure Developments built under the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Programme-2 (MATIP-2) in different Cities and Municipalities across Uganda.
The markets are for improving economic and social infrastructure in urban markets, encouraging vendors, increasing employment opportunities, and increasing customer satisfaction.
The Kitgum Main Market was constructed under Uganda Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project-2 (MATIP-2).
MATIP-2, an expansion of MATIP-1, was officially launched in March 2016 and designed to redevelop markets in urban councils across different regions of Uganda and three high-level value-addition facilities.
Construction of the market started in 2019 and was completed in August 2023 by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) Limited, with funds amounting to shs24b from the African Development Bank.
The modern market can accommodate 1700 vendors and equipped with CCTV cameras with control rooms within the facility, butcheries, cold rooms, financial institutions, restaurants, daycare facilities, prayer, and meeting rooms.
President Yoweri Museveni commissioned the market on October 9th, 2023.
Early this year, the municipal council agreed on the rental fees for the stalls and lockups to range from Shillings 10,000 to shillings 150,000, respectively. However, the fees are awaiting approval from the Ministry of Local Government.
