Masaka gets Shs18b market

Project. The site where Masaka Central Market will be constructed. PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER KISEKKA

What you need to know:

  • Strategy. Municipal council says they will constantly engage stakeholders and inspect the project to avoid wrangles.

Masaka.

Redevelopment of another market in Masaka has commenced as vendors and their leaders continue to bicker over management of the newly constructed Nyendo Market.
The Masaka Central Market, which sits on a 2.5-acre-piece of land and has not had any major repairs since its construction in 1936, will be redeveloped under Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project (MATIP-2).
According to the Masaka Municipality town clerk, Mr Paul Omoko, a joint venture of Multiplex Ltd and Alshams Construction Company Ltd was contracted to do the work at a cost of Shs18.45 billion courtesy of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and government of Uganda.
“The contract was signed and work has already kicked off,” Mr Omoko said in a recent interview.

Approvals
Despite several attempts to reconstruct the market in 2010, internal bickering among vendors stalled the project. But Mr Omoko said they don’t expect any interference from stakeholders since they are all on board now.
“No one is claiming ownership of the land. It is purely municipal council land and documents to prove this are available,” he said.
Ms Elizabeth Nakayiza, the chairperson of the Masaka Central Market Vendors Association, said they agreed and signed documents approving the reconstruction works.
“We all agreed to relocate and pave way for construction of a new market in order to create a better working environment. What happened in Nyendo will not occur here,” Ms Nakayiza noted.
Once complete, the market is expected to have working space for more than 2,000 vendors, which is twice the number of those who have been operating from the facility.
According to Mr Omoko, the new market will have an agro-processing facility, stalls, lock-ups, shops, cold rooms, restaurants, a parking yard and loading and offloading areas.
It will also have drainage ways, solid waste bays, firefighting facilities, washrooms and banking halls among others.

Worries
However, vendors doubt whether the market will have all facilities with reference made to Nyendo Market where a number of planned facilities as per the designed plan were not constructed.
“We want a new market, but giving us false hope of a utopia is foolish and it is one of the reasons why Nyendo Market vendors are in woes,” Mr Umar Kabanda, a vendor, said.
Mr Omoko, however, says to avoid misunderstandings among vendors that may derail the project, the municipality intends to hold regular site meetings to update them on the progress of the project. “We shall also inspect the project being implemented in relation to the bills of quantities in order to have the results appreciated by the community,” Mr Omoko said.
Mr Omoko also revealed that the municipality has already secured another Shs2.8 billion which will be given to the contractor of Nyendo Market, Ambitious Construction Company Ltd, to complete the works.
Unfinished work include tarmacking parking lot and erecting sheds. The cold rooms for preserving perishable goods are also not working.

Nyendo Market issues
Last year, a section of vendors at Nyendo Market abandoned their stalls over alleged unfair treatment from their leaders.
The vendors also claimed exorbitant dues are being levied against them yet they make little profits since the market is still new.
To that effect, many opted to operate from the verandahs, and parking lot and along roads leading to the market complex.
At least 150 stalls out of the 900, have remained empty on the second floor of the market due to absence of power and water sub-metres.