Kasubi road junction works start as vendors move to new market

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | Vendors have finally occupied Kasubi market paving way for the construction works at Kasubi junction in Lubaga Division. KCCA couldn’t undertake the works in 2018 during the construction of Bakuli-Kasubi Road because vendors from Kasubi Market were operating from there.

Government hence constructed a market worth more than Shillings 2 billion about a kilometer away from the junction. The market was completed early this year and handed over to the government but vendors couldn’t occupy it due to fear of crowds that could fuel the spread of the COVID-19. 

Relocation delayed further as KCCA sought to construct another access point to the market. Now, the entry has been constructed and vendors have moved into the new market. 

Aloysius Kanakulya, a vendor in Kasubi Market is happy that they have found a safer area to operate from. Kanakulya, who sells tomatoes and offloads merchandise for other vendors, says there is need for government to expand the market since there are many vendors in need of space.  

Dez Tuhimbise, a vegetable vendor is one of the vendors who haven’t got a place to operate from despite registering in 2018 with the market leadership to book a stall. Tuhimbise says that he had high hopes that after paying Shillings 50,000 and registering, he would get space in the new market.

He says the market leadership has asked them to wait as they devise means to get them space but wonders how he will survive without a stall yet the old market area is no more.

The Chairman of Kasubi Market Vendors, Ronald Zibu expressed gratitude that they have finally entered the market. He says so far about 1100 Vendors have been allocated space. 

However, more than 1400 were registered in 2018. He explains that some of the vendors didn’t run Independent stalls but were employees. 

He said they are working hard to see that all registered members get areas to operate from by utilizing part of the walkways in the market. 

The new Market sitting on 1.2 acres of land has about 15 shelters for vendors’ stalls, a police post, children center, an office block, perimeter wall and seven 500 liter water harvesting tanks among other facilities.

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