Mb’ra Speaker Spit fire on Minister Magyezi over Central Market Saga

By Our Reporter

WallnetNews/Mbarara- Leaders of Mbarara City Council have turned the ongoing Mbarara central market confusion against Minister Raphael Magyezi. Speaker Bony Tashobya Karutsya claims that the market is still clsed because of the confusion which the minister of local government is also aware of.

Tashobya claims that the minister has decided to neglect Mbarara City Leadership which is not healthy for the development of the city. Bony says, there was clear guidelines that Mbarara City Council must be involved in allocating lockups and stalls to the venders but this was never realized.

This reaction came after Minster failed to turn up for Mbarara City Leaders meeting which was a special arrangement with him about central market but after a long day waiting.  Tashobya however said that last week after a long wait, he eventually never turned up and was able to meet the Chairperson of the venders called Emma and his committee whom he elevated.

” The minister called us in Kampala recently as Mbarara City leaders who include me the Speaker, the Mayor, the Town Clerk, the Planner and others. When we reached him, we agreed on how we shall open the market, he told us that after two weeks we are going to open the market, now two weeks were ending on Thursday last week we came here at Mbarara City Council Hall waiting for him but the minister did not come, yet council was prepared to choose the leadership of central market and not any other person or authority.

“Now as we talk the Chairperson of the committee central market Mr. Emma is taking over everything more than the leadership of Mbarara City. We hear that Emma was calling the town clerk challenging him on what should be done and what should not be done giving him orders on what he must do about central market, we ask ourselves who is in charge of central market” he added.

Tashobya further noted that on issues of central market, whoever wants to make any decision or make any suggestion, he or she is supposed to pass through Mbarara City Council because they are the owners of the market, that was handed over to Mbarara City Council. We appeal to the minister to come and we work together.

This market at this time would have been opened because people are too inquisitive to enter the market and they look at us as council to have failed. We as council we have said we already have number of venders we shifted to Independence Park therefore if we are not responded to, we are going to mobilize our venders and we enter this market. “, Tashobya explained.

Tashobya further said that the list which was got from the city council had loopholes. That people who were on that list were those who are not venders at all that they bought lockups even when the market had not even got commissioned. “If the council has failed to handle central market allocation issues, we as government we have decided to take over. Believe it or not, I will not open this market until I get the genuine list of venders who are supposed to operate from this market. I want only venders. And as long as I find you corrupt; I arrest you and you have nothing to do for me” said minister Magyezi.

Minister Magyezi is trying to see that sincerity and fairness is observed in allocation of the stolls and lockups in the central market and for the whole process to be fair and balanced.