Kabale traders thrown out of lock up as, 4 arrested

By Moses Agaba

Vendors in Kabale Central market were on Tuesday afternoon left stranded after a team from Kabale Municipal council led by the Town clerk Justine Barekye forcefully threw them from their shops

At around 1.30 pm a team led by the Kabale Municipality Town clerk Justine Barekye, Andrew Beija the Municipality Health Inspector Assistant commercial officer Willis Atumurikirwe, stormed Kabale central market and demanded that all traders in the 10 locks up in the second floor of the market in the textile section to vacate accusing them of being in the lock ups illegally.

The team then begun throwing all the property of the traders out and breaking the padlocks of the shops that the owners were not around throwing out their merchandise  and alter locking up the shops.

When some of the traders became irate it was then that the town clerk and Andrew Beija escaped leaving the Assistant commercial officer  Willis  Atumurikirwe  with security at the market and ordered  that four traders that were found in the shops to be arrested and be taken to Kabale  Central police  station to record a statement.

The four who were arrested are Robert Mpirirwe, Ronald Oshababohurira, Patience Ahimbisibwe and Peace Arinaitwe who were later taken to Kabale Central police station and recorded statement but were later given police bond.

Robert Mpirirwe one of the affected traders who deals in shoes says that he has been operating n the shop for over one year saying that he has never seen an municipal official come to his shop but he was on Tuesday surprised t see the town clerk and other officials with police and law enforcement officer and ordered him to leave the shop and they began throwing away his merchandise.

When our reporter contacted Barekye on phone said that    the traders were thrown out of the shops because they were there illegally,   When asked about how why they would allow them to operate all this time she hand up and said that “I have network problem I will call you” but press time she had not called even when called she was not picking.

Willis Atumurikirwe    the Assistant commercial officer said that they traders illegally occupied the shops that were reserved for some of the traders that never got shops when the allocation of shops took place as they are in court.

The relocation of vendors to the new market was initiated on January 10, 2023, and concluded after two weeks.

Subsequently, Minister Magyezi formed a special committee to investigate corruption allegations surrounding the registration and relocation process, leading to the suspension of tax collection from Kabale Central Market traders for the duration of the investigation.