By Sadique Bamwita
ENTEBBE
The Entebbe Municipal council authority on Friday June 15, 2024, issued a trade order banning open markets in areas of Nakiwogo, Lugonjo and Entebbe town.
The Mayor of Entebbe Municipality Fabrice Brad Rulinda said the ban follows a recent council meeting in which councilors unanimously resolved to ban three out of the four open markets in Entebbe Municipality.
He revealed that council resolved to remain with Kitooro open market which operates every week on Tuesday and that there shall be no other open markets effective July 1st 2024. He argues that the move is intended to protect market vendors who operate inside the government market from unfair competition from street vendors and also to enhance revenue collection.
While addressing the media on Friday, Mayor Fabrice Rulinda disclosed that it was realized Kitoro government was making deficits yet every month council injects in Shs21million for its maintenance but only collects revenue of Shs4 million every month. He added that a team of enforcement officers backed by police has been put in place to implement the ban or trade order.
‘As council we passed a resolution to ban three open markets and we resolved to remain with only Kitoro open market which operates on Tuesday every week. Starting next month on July 1st,2024, we shall have only one open market which shall serve the whole of Entebbe Municipality. We shall use our Law enforcement officers and police to arrest market vendors who will be found operating in the banned open markets, “Mayor Rulinda sounded his warning.
“Sincerely our markets are not performing well so in this move we aim at uplifting and protecting market vendors.’ He added.
Mayor Fabrice Rulinda noted that under the trade order, all trucks that have been moving around selling items door to door have been banned and now they can only supply to market vendors inside gazetted government markets like Kitooro, Nakiwogo and Entebbe central market.
“Most of our gazetted markets are empty since people prefer to buy from street vendors. With the issuance of a trade order, there will be an increase in revenue collection since our markets will have full potential to make enough revenue. We shall penalize people who will be found operating in unauthorized markets. All trucks that move around selling items like charcoal, pineapples and other commodities, are banned effective July 1st, 2024. We have space inside the market for those commodities so people should buy them from the market vendors. I can’t collect revenue from market vendors and at the same time allow someone to sell the same items on a truck. This would be being dishonest and wrong, “said Mayor Rulinda.
‘All government markets are liabilities not assets for example, every month council invests Shs21 million in Kitoro market for maintenance but surprisingly every month only Shs4million is collected as revenue. That is why we have resolved that lorry trucks should supply only to market vendors who operate inside our government markets and short of this, we shall arrest the perpetrators. With the introduction of a trade order, we shall ensure no one sells items outside the gazetted markets or in open markets.’
