Owino Market Select Committee Starts Work Today
Rebecca Kadaga, the speaker of parliament has named a select subcommittee to draft final recommendations over the management of Owino Market.
The subcommittee is expected to refine recommendations from a report presented by the Presidential affairs committee following a petition in November last year by some vendors over the alleged mismanagement of the market.
The subcommittee, which is scheduled to start work this Saturday, is comprised of Sam Otada as Chair, Frank Tumwebaze, Paul Mwiru, Nabila Naggayi, Marksons Oboth, Flavia Kabahenda and Asupasa Isiko Mpongo.
Some of the recommendations in the committee report that the Subcommittee is expected to refine include that genuine vendors be provided space and security of tenure to do their business in the market, disbandment of the current market leadership, arrangement and sublease be canceled, that the market be reversed to KCCA as per the Law on the market and that KCCA registers genuine vendors among others.
However, during the naming of the subcommittee Betty Nambooze, the Mukono Municipality MP asked the speaker to gives an interim directive on matters concerning Owino market saying that something else could happen between now and when the committee completes its report.
However, Kadaga said this was not necessary since the Subcommittee is working for just a few days and will report to parliament on Tuesday next week.
The decision by Kadaga to appoint a subcommittee came after a heated debate on the presidential affairs committee report to a house.
In its report, the committee suggested that the market be given to KCCA and the lease for the market stalls, Space and Lock-up shop owners Association be cancelled.
The committee accused the market leadership of working with mafias in government to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor vendors.
In their petition to parliament, vendors under Owino Twegatte Development Association claimed that a small group of traders led by Presidential Advisor Godfrey Kayongo were planning to take over the Market.
They also complained that whereas Kampala District Contracts committee had agreed to offer a sub-lease to the vendors on condition that all people operating in the market are members, most of them had been locked out.
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