By Sadique Bamwita
ENTEBBE
Angry market vendors operating in Kitooro market turned rowdy on March 30, 2025, and vandalized part of the newly constructed Kitooro market arguing that they wanted to create an outside door where customers can easily access their businesses since their lock ups are inside the market. The damaged part of the market structure is on block C1-02 just opposite Container village.
The vandalism attracted the intervention of municipal council officials who engaged in a verbal war with the vendors prompting the officials to seek police services.
Later police arrived at the scene and managed to cage one of the ring leaders identified as Paul Oddo. The suspect was taken away and detained at Entebbe police station over charges of vandalism under police reference no:SD Ref 63/29/03/2025, as investigations into the matter continue.
It should be recalled that Kitooro market was commissioned 2 years ago, but ever since it was commissioned, many market vendors have deserted it saying it is in an enclosure and many of their customers can’t locate them.
The vendors raised their concern to Mayor Fabrice Rulinda, who in turn came up with a trader order banning all open markets in Entebbe municipality and gazetted Saturday as the only day for open markets but unfortunately this didn’t work as traders defied him.
According to Mayor Fabrice Rulinda, the Trade order was intended to protect market vendors from unfair competition from street vendors and also to enable council raise enough revenue from the government markets.
In the trade order, all trucks that move around selling items door to door were banned last year effective July 1, 2024, and the truck drivers were ordered to supply their commodities to market vendors inside the three gazzeted government markets like Kitooro, Nakiwogo and Entebbe central market but they also defied the mayor.
