Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has started construction of a Shs32 billion market in Ggaba, Makindye Division, in a project expected to provide formal trading space, create jobs and improve services for residents and traders in the area.
KCCA executive director Sharifah Buzeki said the new market will provide organised space for traders while supporting the livelihoods of people who depend on small businesses in Ggaba and surrounding areas.
The market, that is being constructed under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme, is funded by the World Bank and the French Development Agency.
According to KCCA, the market will have 743 stalls, 173 lock-ups, 47 pitches, 60 shops and 168 restaurant spaces. It will also have storage facilities and other services intended to improve the working environment for traders.
The facility will include furnished cold rooms for fish storage, reflecting Ggaba’s importance as a major fish trading centre. It will also have a water treatment plant to support fish-related activities and improve hygiene.
Other facilities will include offices, a conference hall, toilets and bathrooms, a standby generator and parking space.
Buzeki said the construction is part of the implementation of a government directive to establish at least two markets in each of Kampala’s urban divisions to create more opportunities for employment and income generation.
She said KCCA would work with local authorities and other stakeholders to monitor the project and ensure that the intended beneficiaries are considered during the allocation of trading spaces.
Buzeki said traders who were relocated and registered during the enforcement of the Trade Order would be given priority when spaces in the new market are allocated.
The project comes after years of disagreements and disputes surrounding trading activities and land in the Ggaba area. Local leaders have therefore called for cooperation to prevent conflicts from delaying the construction or affecting the allocation of spaces.
Makindye Mayor Yasini Omari warned local leaders and traders against internal disagreements that could interfere with the project.
He also cautioned traders against attempting to obtain more than one stall, saying the allocation process should be transparent and fair to all beneficiaries.
Kampala Lord Mayor Ronald Balimwezo called on the contractors to deliver quality work and complete the project within the agreed timeframe.
Balimwezo said the new market should improve the living standards of residents by providing traders with better working conditions and creating more opportunities for income generation.
He also called for accountability throughout the construction process to ensure that public funds are properly used.
The minister of state for Kampala, Kabuye Kyofatogabye, also urged traders to use the market as an opportunity to improve their businesses and incomes.
Kyofatogabye further cautioned traders against conflicts over ownership and allocation of stalls, stressing that the market should serve the wider community.
