Vendors at Nakawa market point to land conflicts between market leadership and Kampala Capital City Authorities (KCCA) as the root cause of the recent devastating fire that swept through the market on Monday at 4:30 am.
Over twenty-eight makeshift lockups near Ndagala Zone in Nakawa were decimated, resulting in extensive damage amounting to millions of shillings.
The affected stalls housed various businesses, including charcoal stalls, saloons, restaurants, farm produce, and groundnut grinders. Some vendors lamented that they had recently stocked their businesses with food and produce for the week, incurring loans to do so.
Godfrey Luyombya, the speaker of Nakawa division, revealed that conflicts between market leadership and KCCA authorities had been observed on multiple occasions. He stated that efforts had been made to mediate between the parties, advocating for the vendors to have their own leadership recognized by the authorities.
“As a leadership, we have tried to beseech the authority through engagements to let them permit the vendors to have their leadership.” he said
Allegations surfaced among vendors that KCCA intended to construct a public toilet, a claim dismissed by market chairman Joseph Mudarasa, who was subsequently arrested. They claim Mudarasa’s conflict with the authorities over land disputes escalated, leading to warnings from KCCA for the vendors to vacate the market. Mudarasa, had already been detained by KCCA law enforcers before the fire outbreak. He is currently in prison at Luzira.
In response to the incident, Nakawa West MP Joel Senyonyi announced the formation of an adhoc committee to assess the situation and assist vendors in recovering their losses. He emphasized the need for local leaders to fundraise for the affected vendors.
“An ad hoc committee has been established to address the situation, tasked with identifying the affected individuals and assessing the extent of the damage. Their primary objective is to determine the number of people impacted and explore avenues for local leaders to raise funds to support them.” he said
Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala Metropolitan spokesperson, reported that the fire brigade and rescue services managed to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further. While the cause of the fire remains unknown, no casualties were reported, and an investigation has been initiated by the police.
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