Minister in charge of Kampala city and metropolitan Hajjat Minsa Kabanda has directed Kampala Central Division Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Shafik Nsubuga to make sure that city vendors especially those operating in St Balikuddembe market commonly known as Owino don’t disrupt the city security through a planned riot over the threats of eviction from controversial city businessman Hamis Kiggundu.
The directive comes at a time when vendors are planning to petition the Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among seeking for her intervention to save them from Kiggundu who has already started demarcating where to start from when he kicks off evictions before Christmas.
“Last week, we saw Kiggundu with his people inspecting part of our market, they passed that side of the produce. That is what he did when he was going to evict vendors who were working on Nakivubo drainage channel and park yard market. We have to prepare for him because he has interest in our market and we know that with the support of the president, he is going to evict us but we have to put up a spirited fight also because this market is our life,” Yusuf Matovu a vendor told Ono Bwino.
Kamada Bukenya the market spokesperson confirmed the ongoing threats and he disclosed that they called a meeting with the minister who assured them not to take their matters to parliament because she was going to solve them amicably.
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He said that they have already collected signatures of all vendors which they want to take to the Speaker because they know that being a friend to Kiggundu, the Minister cannot stop him from evicting them.
Minister Kabanda said that he met Kiggundu who confirmed to her that he has no interest in taking over Owino market. He assured her that he is going to follow the plan he was given to develop Nakivubo drainage channel without disrupting other people in the city.
Vendors accuse KCCA speaker Zahara Luyirika of giving the green light to the businessman who has started threatening to evict them from their market. They also accusse KCCA National Unity Platform (NUP) councillors of colluding with Luyirika to pass a council resolution allowing Kigundu to take over Nakivubo drainage channel and the surrounding area.
Kampala Lord Mayor Ssalongo Erias Lukwago claims that Kiggundu’s plan is to takeover Owino market and the surrounding area so that he builds commercial buildings and lockups which the current vendors will not manage to rent.
He added that other shrewd businessmen are targeting Nakivubo blue primary school, Nakivubo Settlement primary school and other private land in the city and it is the reason why they are heavily supporting his opponents so that he does not return as the city Lord Mayor to block their plans.
