Govt to build 17 new markets in Greater Kampala

The government has stepped up plans to establish 17 new markets in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
The markets, which are being established under the Shs2.1 trillion Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GKMA-UDP), will be built in Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and Mpigi districts.

As part of the plans, the Ministry of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs has embarked on consulting and training leaders of the beneficiary areas on how to manage the markets.
During the training of community development officers (CDOs) from the implementing municipalities and local governments, Mr Fred Tumwebaze Hunter, a consultant for the programme, said the markets which are now at the design stage and will be set up in Kira, Nansana, Makindye-Ssabagabo, Entebbe and Mukono municipalities as well as Kampala City, Mpigi, Mukono and Wakiso districts.

He said they are assessing the different prevailing conditions in the beneficiary local governments to ensure the creation of decent work spaces and markets that he said should benefit the population.
 
“The local economic development component has prioritised about 17 markets in these areas and we are looking at identifying them and surrounding businesses, which can be incorporated in these markets for our people,” Mr Tumwebaze said.
 
He explained that the programme is looking at creating more business zones so that those currently trading on streets can enter the markets to help local governments collect more revenue.

“We want to have proper trade order but in return create more revenue streams to the local governments and municipalities. We also want to promote product standardisation and add value to them so people can get more income. In all this, we want to emphasise the designs of the markets and other working spaces should not be white elephants.”
 
The Undersecretary in the Ministry of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Ms Monica Edemachu Ejua, urged the local government leaders to strengthen the management of the markets by ensuring they have land titles and management committees, among others.
 
“The Market Act was passed and it delayed because the President insisted that he must personally discuss what he wants; and he gave us directives that the government must repossess these markets and once we repossess them, we must strengthen their management and we have developed a tool for the leaders to see how they will manage the markets in their areas,” she said.
 
Ms Caroline Amuat, a senior Community Development Officer from Mukono, acknowledged that incorporating the views of the local people before setting up the markets will make them more effective.
 
“For example, right now we are working on friendly designs for markets to cater for all categories of people without segregation. In this, we have to first consult locals on the designs they want for the markets,” she said.
“We don’t want to have a scenario where a market is built and people don’t occupy it. We have asked the local population to give inputs in the designing of the markets and how they want the stalls to look like and all other aspects,” she added.
 
Utility
Establishing markets and decent work spaces is one of the pillars of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GMKA-UDP). 
The other focus areas include enhancing mobility and accessibility through road upgrades, bolstering urban resilience with drainage infrastructure, and strengthening institutional capacity for coordinated planning and investment in infrastructure. 

The GMKA-UDP, valued at $566 million (Shs2.1 trillion), includes a mix of loans and grants, with $518 million allocated as a loan and $48 million as a grant. The programme will further be facilitated by a loan worth $42.66 million (Shs156.4 billion) from Agence Francaise de Development (AFD).