Richard Lubega, the chairperson of the Federation of Kampala street Vendors Association, says that they acquired the land when Kampala Capital City Authority started enforcing the Smart City Campaign, which displaced vendors off Kampala streets.
Richard Lubega the chairperson of the Federation of Kampala street Vendors Association said that they acquired the land but, vendors lacked funds to pay for the ground rent which is over 20 million.
More than 2600 street vendors and hawkers 2600 have registered to operate the newly established makeshift in Lower Nsooba after Kalerwe along the Northern bypass. The market sits on a 4-acre piece of land belonging to Godfrey Mugalu.
Richard Lubega, the chairperson of the Federation of Kampala street Vendors Association, says that they acquired the land when Kampala Capital City Authority started enforcing the Smart City Campaign, which displaced vendors off Kampala streets.
He explains that the owner of the land asked for over Shillings in ground rent, which they couldn't afford prompting the Uganda Microfinance Support Center and the
Executive Director of KCCA Dorothy Kisaka to pay rent for six months, which elapsed before they could take over the space.
He says that they are currently seeking similar assistance from the microfinance support Center and General Salim Sale to pay the ground rent for the next six months since they have started utilizing it.
//Cue in:
Ebigendererwa byaffe…
Cue out….ekifo
kino ate tukyagaziwa”.//
According to
Lubega, each street vendor or hawker pays 35,000 Shillings for registration
which includes an Identity card, and another Shillings 50,000 for the stall.
//Cue in: “Ekifo
kini netufuna….
Cue out….okulaba
nga etuukirira”//
Moses
Birungi, the defense secretary of the association, says that each vendor is
allocated a space of 4 to 5 meters on a raised platform to avoid flooding
because the area is swampy and was backfilled with marram soil.
He explains that currently they are working on the drainage and building
bridges that connect the area from the main road to the market so that
customers can access it easily.
Eva Nantume, one of the vendors said that their customers are very few since many people don't know about the new market. Nantume explains that she secured her stall
in November last year but they couldn’t occupy the area because the space was
being worked on.
//Cue in: “Ba
customer tebanaba…
Cue out…nengamba
nti kambeere mu ngatto”.//
Andrew Kasagga, another vendor says that he was a shoe hawker on Allen road in Kampala but when he heard that street vendors were getting space to work from he acquired a stall because he
was fed up with being hunted by KCCA all the time.
//Cue in: “Nali
musajja mutembeyi….
Cue out: ….togwaamu
suubi,"//
Victoria Bulasa, the chairperson of the area said that the market sits in Kyebando-Nsooba and Lower Nsooba but most of the administrative activities of the market are done at her LC of Lower-Nsooba.
She said that vendors find it hard to cross the Northern bypass to get services at Lower Nsooba LC where they belong. Bulasa said the introduction of a market in her area has helped a number of residents in the area to get jobs.
Fred Kayongo Male
Freelancer
