RUKIGA – Rukiga District leaders have announced active engagements to secure prime land for an upgraded fresh market in Muhanga Town Council, a decisive step to alleviate the growing plight of local vendors.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The development was revealed by District Chairperson Simon Mutebi Rwamagyenda during an emotional on-site visit to struggling traders at the new market site along the Muhanga-Kyogo Road (Kitazania) on Thursday.
The visit came as a direct response to relentless cries from the business community, who have been grappling with a sharp decline in sales following a recent trade order that forcefully evicted them from their previous spot along the Muhanga-Kabale Road.
Vendors, including former thriving traders Tukahirwa Evense, Busingye Joan, and Mugabirwe Annah, have reported a devastating collapse in daily earnings following the relocation, which has wrecked their livelihoods.
Vendors noted that they are unable to afford school fees for their children or meet basic family needs, and are thus pleading with the government for swift intervention to avert a deepening crisis.
“We were forced to leave a profitable location for this place, where we can barely support our families. To make the situation worse, our children are now home because we can’t pay school fees. We urge the government to intervene before things get worse,” lamented Tukahirwa.
Fresh food sellers’ chairperson, Biryabarema Francis, painted a grim reality of the relocation fallout, revealing that traders now fail to raise even daily market fees while operating from a poorly located site.
Francis passionately stood with the distressed vendors, urging leaders to prioritise securing a decent alternative location to salvage what remains of their businesses.
“We are bleeding as traders. From a place where we earned a living, we have been dumped here, where we cannot even raise daily market fees. The site lacks toilets, proper sheds, and strategic positioning, yet we are expected to survive,” argued Chairman Francis.
Flanked by Muhanga Town Council LC V Councilors Alban Katareiha and Jackline Rwecurenga, Simon Mutebi assured the vendors that high-level engagements are already underway to secure a viable piece of land for a permanent, well-equipped market.
“We have heard your cries, and we are not turning a blind eye. Efforts are in progress to ensure we get a proper place for you to conduct your business with dignity,” Mutebi told the crowd.
He also offered a pragmatic piece of advice to the distressed parents, urging vendors to consider enrolling their children in government-aided schools rather than keeping them at home while waiting for the economic situation to stabilize.
Muhanga Town Council Mayor Twijukye James commended the district leadership team led by the Chairperson for their swift response in visiting the dire situation confronting traders.
The Mayor affirmed that the council is actively strategizing to address the grievances raised since the abrupt relocation, promising that a lasting solution is firmly on the horizon.
Kitazania traders are now holding onto the Chairperson’s promise, hoping that the district’s commitment to securing new land will breathe life back into their dwindling enterprises and restore hope to their hungry families.
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