Central Market Vendors, Town Clerk disagree on market rental Charges

Amos Tayebwa

Marara

Conflicts between Mbarara Central Market Vendors and Mbarara City Council Leaders are not about to end, this comes following the disagreements between the two parties over the determination of market rental charges.

On Friday this Week, Mbarara City Council directed vendors to close their business at Central market and gather them at Mbarara City Mayors Gardens where the Deputy Town Clerk held them for a meeting about the Rental charges each vendor must pay City Council per month.

Richard Mugisha, the mbarara City Deputy Town Clerk presented the market facility approved of rental charges each vendor from this market will be  paying.  He said that initially when these vendors were entering the market, minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi directed and gave vendors a grace period of  two months free without paying rent and they are elapsing very soon. However,  during the meeting that was held on this Friday,  Mayor Kayebezi has also added an extra month for the vendors.

The Town Clerk Mugisha in his capacity has therefore directed that  when the extra month added by the Mayor clocks, council shall request for advance payment of two months  from the all vendors. That  the vendor who has just  been identified and they  entered,  working from this facility, council shall request them to pay advance payment once the extra month is over.

Such statements from the Town Clerk created different emotions from the vendors, some of them were seen defying the Town Clerk’s directive on top of the rent charges which the vendors were not satisfied with.  Some of them they walked out of the meeting with  bitter reactions.

According to the Town Clerk, the rates of rental charges were different depending on one’s allocation. According to  the market facilities approved rental charges are  highlighted in different categories as some are shown below; common Lockup (single) L1 150,000=, common room (double) L1 200,000=, advantage room (single) L1 150,000=, Advantage room (Double) L1 250,000=, fowl cage L150,000=, pitch open and pace food – L1 30,000=, common room (single) L2 150,000=, common room (double) L2  200, 000=, advantage room (single) 150,000=, advantage room (double) L2 250,000=, specialised  fish Butcher L2 150,00=, specialised beef Butcher L2 150,000=, stall L2 30,000=, slaughter of the Chicken L2 20,000,   common room (single) L3 80,000=, common room (double) L3 120,000=, stall L3 30,000=,  common room (single) L4 80,000=, common room (double) L4 100,000=, food court L4 200,000=, Restaurant L4 300,000=, Day Care L4 100,000=, SACCO office L4 200,000= and toilet tender all levels 1000,000=.

According to the vendors, they were not satisfied with these approved rental charges imposed on them by Council. They claim that they cannot work in this market only to work for rent and losses. That as low income earners they cannot manage to pay these rental charges.

Winnie Begumanya Rubonente sad that Council did not consult vendors before imposing these rental charges on them.

“You cannot come up and put charges which I will not be able to pay. These people did not follow the guidelines. The guideline are very clear that a vendor will pay the money for rent that is affordable for him or her.  Some of us we were given bad allocations that are not easily accessible by the clients. They must first revise these rental charges otherwise we can’t pay them, instead we shall move out of this Market we leave it for them (council). For example, they want be charging me me 80,000= per month but i can tell u since I entered  this market I have never made 100,000= as profit now what do you expect me to get the 80,000= for rent” said Rubonente.