KABALE, UGANDA: A section of vendors operating in the newly constructed Kabale central market has asked the Ministry of Local Government to expeditiously release findings by the ad-hoc investigating the alleged gross corruption in the allocation of space in the new market.
On 30th January, the instituted by the Minister of Local Government Raphael Magyezi instituted a select committee to investigate complaints by some vendors against the municipal authorities participating in bungling up the relocation exercise.
The committee was given 10 days to submit the report but that submission of the report has been extended over three times due to the load that the committee needed to execute.
On 6th April, Kabale Deputy RDC Mr Andrew Ronald Bakak told DailyExpress that the report with its findings had been completed and submitted to the Ministry of local government through the permanent secretary Ben Kumumanya.
However, a month later, ever since the committee completed the investigations, the minister is yet to pronounce himself about the report.
Speaking on Friday, May 05, 2023, during a consultative meeting organized Ardent Services Limited, a private consultancy firm hired by the ministry to document and report grievances from vendors inside the market, a section of disgruntled vendors said that it does not make for the government to keep sending different groups of people to pick their grievances and quite.
The vendors who included Kiiza Jack Robinson, Richard Mporera and Robert Byansi among others urged the minister of local government to first reveal what the ad hoc committee he instituted found out.
Jacob Munanuzi, an official from the consultancy firm who is leading the team said that their report will complement what the committee instituted by the minister to make an informed decision.
Minister Magyezi acknowledged receipt of the report saying that he is still waiting for the president to assent to a new market bill that was passed by parliament early last month.
He added that he will come to Kabale to announce what is contained in the report and the final position after the President has assented to the new market bill.
In 2019, the government contracted Chong Chong International Construction (CICO) to upgrade the market at Shillings 23 billion under the World Bank-funded Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Program – MATIP III. CICO handed over the market to the government in December last year.
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