Kitgum Main Market is still operating below capacity, more than two years after its commissioning, raising concerns over declining local revenue collection.
The 2.6 billion Shillings market, constructed under the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Programme-II (MATIP II), was commissioned in October 2023 by President Yoweri Museveni. It is one of 12 MATIP II markets established across cities and municipalities in Uganda to improve economic and social infrastructure while creating employment opportunities.
However, according to Kitgum Municipality Mayor Richard Okwera Ojara, the market, which was designed to accommodate about 1,600 vendors, is currently occupied by only about 60 percent of traders. Ojara said the municipal authorities are considering measures to attract more businesspeople into the market, including reducing the cost of renting shops and stalls.
Reagan Nockrach, the outgoing Speaker of Kitgum Municipality, said enforcement of trade order regulations could help restore business activity in the market. Nockrach noted that many traders continue to operate outside the facility instead of using the gazetted trading spaces inside the market.
“You find that traders are scattered just outside the market because of lack of enforcement of the trade order. We have to develop a strategy whereby we take all these traders back to the market so that we collect good revenue,” Nockrach said.
Meanwhile, Quinto Olweny, the chairperson of Owino Market vendors, blamed the poor design of the facility for driving away hundreds of traders.
According to Olweny, some sections of the market, especially the area designated for secondhand clothes traders, are poorly lit, exposing vendors to theft and forcing many to close their businesses. He also said the market’s layout is confusing, making it difficult for customers to navigate.
Olweny added that because of the market’s design challenges, several vendors have resorted to selling goods along roadsides or relocating to auction markets in sub-counties, despite the risks and high transport costs involved.
Nancy Adong, a vegetable vendor, said the market’s layout remains difficult to navigate. “Some of our customers now prefer to buy goods from the smaller market because of the design of this market. No one wants to climb stairs carrying goods only to get lost,” Adong said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
