23b Kabale market complete
By Moses Agaba
Kabale
Chongqing International Construction (CICO), a Chinese company has handed over the newly constructed Kabale Central Market and apologized to the vendors for delays, citing Covid-19-induced challenges.
The Local Government Ministry in December 2019 contracted Chongqing International Construction (CICO), to build the market at the heart of Kabale town to the tune of over 23 billion shillings, under the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement program – MATIP II project with funding from the African Development Bank and the Government of Uganda in a space of two years but it has delayed until now.
On Wednesday Company project manager Mou Shaojiu handed over the market to the government through the Ministry of Local Government Officials led by the Ministry of Infrastructure Eng. Emmanuel Mwebaze and the Municipal Authorities led by the Mayor of Kabale Municipality Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha.
While handing over the new facility Speaking at the handover ceremony this afternoon held in the market hall, Eng Mwebaze thanked the contractor for the quality of the works and explained that like many other projects in the country, Kabale Central Market ran into Covid-19 glitches saying that the construction of the market was expected to take two years but was extended to one more year, due several challenges that included Covid-19 lockdown and making changes in the market designs among others.
Eng. Mwebaze said the market is fully complete though it is still under the defects liability period up to the end of the year.
He said that the Municipal Authorities now have the mandate of proper re-allocation of vendors to the lock-ups following the guidance of the Ministry of Local Government.
He added that the official commissioning of the market will be at a later stage when vendors will have occupied it as he cautioned the vendors to maintain the sanitation of the market since it is at an international level.
Speaking at the same function, the Mayor of Kabale Municipality Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha commended the President of Uganda and the then Prime Minister of Uganda, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, Kabale District leaders, and municipal council leaders that fought hard to have the market.
He says that they expect to occupy the market by 15th December 2022, after the verification of vendors’ lists and zoning of lockups for each section of the business.
The vendors had been relocated to Kigongi at the Uganda Police Grounds in Central Division and Mwanjari in Southern Division where they have been operating from.
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