More than 300 vendors were left off the newly verified Mbarara Central Market vendor list. (300 Vendors Are Excluded from New Mbarara Market List)
Raphael Magyezi, the Minister of Local Government, appointed a 25-member committee chaired by Acting Principal Commercial Officer Joseline Kiconco two weeks ago to conduct a new verification of the previous list of vendors.
The committee was given one week to verify the lists and display them for three days on the public notice board. The verified list included officials from the Ministry of Local Government, the Office of the Resident City Commissioner, Mbarara City Council, and the previous vendors Association leadership.
When the list that has 900 vendors was displayed, some vendors protested that their names were missing.
Swaleh Ayubu Ntaazi, one of the affected vendors says he has been selling in the market since 1983 and owned a kiosk. He goes on to say that he was on all of the lists and that he signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Local Government Ministry.
Ntaazi claims that his name was accidentally removed from the previous list.
Another vendor, Sanyu Nanyazi, claims she was on all previous lists and was assigned a lockup but was told not to pay.
Another affected vendor, Hajjat Mariam Nalweyiso, accused the new vendor leadership of bias.
The vendors who have been affected have petitioned the Mbarara City Traders Association.
According to Emmanuel Muhumuza, Acting Chairperson of the Vendors Association, the verification process is still ongoing. He urged the vendors who were left off the new list to remain calm.
Mbarara City Traders Association Chairperson Simon Mwijuka Seezi claims that over 300 vendors have registered to protest their removal from the list.
According to Richard Mugisha, Deputy Town Clerk, the vendors should file a complaint with the appeals committee, which is chaired by the Resident City Commissioner-RCC.
The 21 billion Shillings market, built with African Development Bank funding as part of the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project (MATIP), is a two-story facility that can accommodate 1000 vendors. (300 Vendors Are Excluded from New Mbarara Market List – celebrity jazz ug )
