The delayed construction of the Masindi Modern Market has left more than 1,000 vendors operating in a dilapidated facility with poor sanitation, inadequate lighting and growing security concerns, despite years of government promises and the allocation of Shs42 billion for the project.
The market, which is earmarked for redevelopment under the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project (MATIP), has remained unchanged for more than a decade. In September 2022, the government announced that Shs42 billion had been set aside for the construction of the modern market, but works have never commenced.
Vendors say the current market is overcrowded and lacks basic infrastructure. Poor hygiene has exposed traders to diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera, while inadequate lighting during the night has made the market vulnerable to theft and attacks by criminals.
The government directed Masindi Municipal authorities to provide land for the project, and the municipality acquired a five-acre piece of land. However, despite fulfilling this requirement, construction has stalled. Irene Katusiime, one of the vendors, says traders have endured years of unfulfilled promises while continuing to pay taxes.
Rogers Kyomukama, another vendor, says the congestion and lack of electricity have made business difficult, urging the government to expedite construction of the modern market. David Wobusobozi says the market is no longer suitable for the more than 1,000 vendors operating there, warning that poor sanitation continues to expose traders to diseases.
Government plans for the project date back several years. On March 23, 2020, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, informed Masindi Municipal Council that the market had been selected for redevelopment under MATIP. The ministry asked the municipality to submit a land title, a register of vendors and the market management structure by April 17, 2020, with construction expected to begin during the 2020/2021 financial year.
In 2022, officials from the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Finance and the African Development Bank visited Masindi Municipality to assess the existing market and inspect the proposed relocation site for vendors before construction.
However, no work has begun. Issa Umar Balinda, the LCIII Chairperson for Central Division in Masindi Municipality, says all the requirements requested by the government were fulfilled, including securing land for the project, and appealed to the government to fast-track the construction of the market.
In November 2024, the then Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi, said funding for the Masindi Modern Market had been approved by the African Development Bank and that the designs had already been completed and approved. He explained that the project was awaiting the President’s approval of the loan before construction could begin. Nearly two years later, construction has yet to start, leaving hundreds of traders waiting for a modern market that has been promised for more than a decade-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
