Owino traders petition Museveni over fraud
Owino Market traders address journalists in Kampala on January 25, 2022. PHOTO/PETER SSERUGO
What you need to know:
- The senior presidential political advisor, Ms Hadijah Namyalo promised to deliver the traders’ complaints to Mr Museveni for a “decisive action and justice delivery.”
The traders in St Balikudembe market (Owino) under their leadership have petitioned President Museveni over fraudulent allocations of market stalls and lock-ups by the old market leaderships led by Suzan Kushaba.
Kushaba presided over the market for about two years until November 2022 when Mr Museveni directed all city markets to be taken over by KCCA.
During the traders’ meeting held at Nakivubo Blue School in Kampala yesterday, the traders handed over a three-page petition to the senior presidential political advisor Hadijah Namyalo as they decried what they described as “fraud in the market.”
“Some of us acquired lock-ups in the Market in the 1970s but Kushaba connived with police and pushed us out of the market saying she got a directive from the president to give out lock-ups and stalls to anyone of her wish,” Akamada Mwebe, a trader and landlord in Owino market claimed.
Another trader, Ms Grace Namata, 67 said: “I acquired my lock-up in the 1990s. As I grew old -together with my children- we agreed to let out the stall to another person who was paying me monthly rent. When Kushaba came, she gave out the stall to my tenant without my consent.”
Most traders hoped KCCA would not interrupt with lock-up ownership after taking over the market.
Their chairman, Charles Ssebuufu, is now urging authorities to immediately probe the complaints of traders especially those whose stalls and lock-ups were given away by the old market leadership.
The Kampala deputy RCC, Yasiin Ndidde asked all complainants to take their issues to his office.
“When you (traders) complained about Kushaba, we acted and she was removed from the market. Even these complaints shall be solved. Write to my office, put the details about your stall or lock-up that was taken and leave the rest to my office, we are here to ensure justice” Mr Ndidde said during the Owino traders’ meeting in Kampala on January 25.
The senior presidential political advisor, Ms Hadijah Namyalo promised to deliver the traders’ complaints to the president for a “decisive action and justice delivery.”
“I have also heard several complaints about the area police. We are to conduct investigations and if the police is also implicated in this fraud, action shall be taken because they are not above the law,” she vowed.
