Fish traders in Busia are pushing for the relocation of Yalelo and Randarily fish companies from their current locations in the municipality to the main market.
The dispute pits local traders against established fish businesses marketers that have ushered in a different model of selling and marketing fresh fish.The dispute in Busia is not the first time local fish traders have raised concerns about Yalelo’s expansion, with traders in Gulu City in northern Uganda also previously complaining about the company’s presence in the local market.
The traders say the companies’ operations at the border are diverting customers, including Kenyan buyers, away from the main market and affecting their businesses. The dispute has prompted Busia Municipal Council to give the two companies four months to reorganise and move their operations to the main market, after a meeting involving the companies, municipal authorities and local leaders.
The traders say they expected Yalelo to stop operating at the border after State Minister for Local Government Balam Barugahare ordered its closure during an anti-corruption campaign in Busia last month.
John Kintu, a fresh fish trader in Busia Main Market, said traders were surprised that Yalelo had continued selling fish at the border despite the minister’s directive.
Muhammad Mafabi, another fresh fish trader, said the companies should operate from the main market so that customers from Uganda and Kenya can access them from the same trading area. The dispute comes as Yalelo, which started operating in Uganda in 2019, has expanded its aquaculture and fish distribution business in the country.
The company describes itself as an aquaculture producer that combines local resources with international production practices. It says environmental sustainability, social responsibility, accountability and traceability are central to its operations.
The presence of an established fish company such as Yalelo has, however, created competition for local traders who rely on the main market for their businesses. The traders say the company’s location at the border gives it access to customers who would otherwise buy fish from businesses in the main market.
The commercial dispute has also been accompanied by questions over the companies’ operating licences. Fenard Katunda Mukulu, the Busia Town Clerk, said Yalelo and Randarily had been operating without valid municipal licences, which he said expired three years ago.
He said the municipality had previously ordered the closure of the companies and enforcement officers had closed their fish stores. The companies, however, have resisted calls for an immediate shutdown.
Kenneth Jossey Kazyora, the director of Randarily Fish Company, said the main market first needs to be modified to meet the standards required for the companies’ operations.
He said the companies would address the licensing issue later and were not prepared to shut down their businesses because of pressure from local traders. The dispute has also attracted the attention of police after protests by traders.
Grace Nyangoma, the Busia District Police Commander, said police had registered several cases involving fish traders who became rowdy while protesting against fish companies operating at the border.
State Minister for Works and Transport in charge of Transport, Julius Maganda Wandera, held a dialogue between representatives of the two companies and Busia municipal authorities at the Busia District Council Hall.
The meeting resolved that the municipality would refurbish and modify the main market to create space for the two companies. The companies were given four months to reorganise and move their operations to the market.
Maganda later met traders at the Busia Main Market and explained the resolution, saying the companies would be expected to relocate once the four-month period expires. He warned that if the companies had not moved into the market by the end of the four months, he would move to suspend their operations in Busia town.
John Charles Namayindi, the Busia District LCV Chairman, said the parties had agreed that the two companies would be given four months to reorganise before moving their operations to the main market.
The four-month arrangement is intended to ease the tension between the local traders and the two companies while the municipality prepares space for their operations. However, the dispute also raises a wider question about competition between established fish businesses and small traders in local markets, particularly where consumers have different preferences over price, quality, weight and reliability-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
