Umar Nsubuga, a vendor of second hand clothes says he gets more customers when he operates on the streets compared to the market. He asks the municipal authorities to halt the plans to force them in the market, saying they can’t afford the rental fees.
More than 1000 stalls in Hoima Central market are still vacant; almost six years after the market was built. The 13.7 billion Shillings market was built with funding from the African Development Bank-ADB under the Markets and Agriculture Trade Improvement Project (MATIP). It has 2400 stalls and currently hosts 1400 vendors.
The three-storied market has restaurants, a clinic and cold room for perishable items, lockups, a pharmacy and parking yard. The market has 156 lockups but only 70 are occupied. The vendors pay between Shillings 2 million and 2.5 million as rent for the lockups annually.
Despite the availability of lockups and stalls in the market, hundreds of vendors still operate on streets such as Bunyoro Kitara, Kwebiha, Main street, Rukurato,Republic and Kabalega streets among others. This has affected the anticipated revenue collection from the market. Both the market management and Hoima municipal officials have failed to convince street vendors to occupy the empty stalls and lockups.
Several attempts by the municipality to evict the vendors forcefully have also failed to yield results. Some of the street vendors interviewed by Uganda Radio Network, say they feel contented operating on the streets compared to the market where they are charged a lot of money, which they can’t afford.
They also argue that majority of their customers cannot access the market stalls. Umar Nsubuga, a vendor of second hand clothes says he gets more customers when he operates on the streets compared to the market. He asks the municipal authorities to halt the plans to force them in the market, saying they can’t afford the rental fees.
//Cue in;”Nze ntunda wanu…
Cue out:…wanu ku kubo.”//
Rosemary Kyomukama, another street vendor says the level of their business does not require them to join their colleagues in the main market since their capital is still small.
//Cue in:”Itwe aba kolera…
Cue out:…Tukolere ha ngudo,”//
Stella Kisembo, a food vendor says some of the stalls in the market cannot be accessed by customers. She says the only solution for them is to sell from the streets where customers can easily access her business. Victoria Kobusinge, a vendor at Hoima Central market faults the Municipal authorities for failing to evict the street vendors.
She says street vendors block customers from accessing the market since they sell the same merchandise like what is found inside the market, which affects their earnings.
//Cue in;”Itwe tukusaba Gafumenti…
Cue out:…nabo bagaruke omunda.”//
Irene Natumanya, another vendor in the market says they pay taxes to operate in the market yet street vendors operate freely. She wants the municipal Authorities to act quickly and evict the vendors.
Edward Kamukumba, the Chairperson Hoima Central Market, says the presence of the street vendors has immensely affected business in the market since most customers tend to buy from the street vendors.
He wonders why the Municipal authorities have turned a deaf ear to their demands to evict the street vendors. Kamukumba says the market is big enough to accommodate al vendors but some have adamantly refused to operate in the market.
Daniel Kaseregenye, the Hoima Deputy Town Clerk says they are looking for modalities to relocate the street vendors to the main market. He asked the street vendors to relocate voluntarily before they are forced to comply.
Story by Okello Emmanuel
