Iganga, Uganda: Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs and Manager of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, has ordered fresh leadership elections at Iganga Central Market after dissolving the interim committee over allegations of fraud, connivance and years of financial mismanagement that have left hundreds of traders frustrated and distrustful of government programmes.
The directive was issued during a stakeholders’ meeting at Iganga Municipal Council Hall on Tuesday, July 07, bringing together traders, district leaders, security officials, and municipal technocrats to chart a way forward for the troubled market.
The intervention follows the recent arrest of former market chairperson Elvis Tanazilaba, who is accused of allegedly collecting money from vendors for market files and stalls that were never allocated.
Addressing a packed hall of traders, Hajjat Namyalo criticised what she described as the imposition of market leaders by technocrats (including town clerks, commercial officers and CAOs), saying the practice had enabled corruption and denied vendors an opportunity to choose accountable representatives.
“I don’t see the essence of technocrats imposing people on the market people, especially someone who got money from you. This means total connivance to further defraud market people and it’s deemed necessary to elect new leaders,” Namyalo said.
Acting on powers entrusted to her through the Office of the National Chairman, the Chief Muzzukulu immediately dissolved the interim leadership and directed Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Eric Ssewandigi, together with municipal authorities, to organise fresh elections within two weeks.
“I task you in a timeframe of two weeks to elect the committee for the market people on condition that those who stole people’s money are not allowed to contest,” she directed.
Namyalo also ordered all outgoing office bearers to immediately hand over official documents and other instruments of authority to the RDC pending the election of a new committee.
Police handling questioned
The ONC Manager further raised concerns over the manner in which police reportedly handled complaints against former market leaders. She alleged that information available to her indicated the market chairperson, who was arrested in October 2025 during her last visit to the market, had been released after her earlier intervention despite the seriousness of complaints raised by traders.
“It’s alleged that police mishandled this matter, and I have since filed details to the President,” she said.
The ONC Manager instructed vendors who made payments under the disputed Katale Loan Scheme to present receipts and other evidence to facilitate verification of the amounts allegedly lost.
“I ask those with receipts confirming that you were defrauded of money to present them for purposes of establishing the amount of money which was taken from market people,” she added.
RDC promises accountability
Iganga RDC Eric Ssewandigi acknowledged that his office has been dealing with governance challenges affecting both Iganga Central Market and Abbey Mukwaya Market, blaming corruption and weak leadership for undermining government programmes.
“The leadership challenges in the markets (of Iganga Central Market and Abbey Mukwaya Market), I am battling with PDM thieves, and so far we have managed to recover funds and directed them to the rightful beneficiaries after those responsible were charged before getting the funds,” Ssewandigi said.
He announced that municipal technical officials, including the Commercial Officer, Town Clerk and Mayor, would meet on Wednesday to develop a roadmap for the market elections.
The RDC also directed the outgoing committee to prepare accountability reports, warning that an audit would be conducted and any misappropriated funds recovered. “The auditors will audit the committee and any money lost will be paid back by the people who ate the said money,” he said.
NUP Mayor raises pending government pledges
Iganga Municipality Mayor Nasser Kongola, who subscribes to the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), welcomed Namyalo’s intervention but used the meeting to remind the government about several unfulfilled development commitments.
Among them was the long-awaited establishment of a government Seed Secondary School in the municipality.
“They gave us a seed school in Iganga Municipality, but we don’t have it. I ask you to remind President Museveni that the pledge is still pending fulfilment. The emphasis is on the seed school, market and the referral hospital. Politics is done and it’s time to serve our people,” Kongola said.
Traders welcome intervention
Several traders told DailyExpress that years of poor leadership had denied them opportunities to benefit from government wealth creation initiatives, including the Katale Loan Scheme, Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga.
One trader said corruption and lack of transparency had eroded confidence in market leadership.
“Iganga has spent like 15 years without transparency, and we’re here to thank you and the RDC for coming up with a directive to have market leadership handled. Thieves in the municipality have always connived to frustrate issues concerning market leadership,” the trader said.
Enock Muyobo, a fish trader, accused the outgoing leadership of collecting money from vendors without proper accountability. He said Namyalo’s intervention had restored hope among traders who had repeatedly sought government intervention without success.
Market vendors expressed hope that fresh elections would restore accountability and improve access to government support programmes. They thanked President Museveni for empowering the Office of the National Chairman to directly engage communities and resolve grassroots governance challenges.
Accused chairperson denies wrongdoing
However, former Iganga central market chairperson Elvis Tanaziraba rejected the allegations levelled against him. He maintained that the Katale Loan Scheme is a government programme established to support market vendors and insisted municipal technical officers were fully aware of its operations, including registration procedures and implementation.
Tanaziraba further argued that Namyalo’s directives were politically motivated and made before giving him an adequate opportunity to explain his side of the story.
He also claimed that the matter had previously been reviewed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and that his case file had been closed after investigations.
Authorities had not publicly commented on Tanaziraba’s claims regarding the status of the case by the time this story was filed for publication.
Background
Iganga Central Market has experienced prolonged leadership disputes for more than a decade, with repeated disagreements over management, revenue collection and vendor representation. The instability has affected service delivery and delayed redevelopment plans.
While several municipalities across Uganda have benefited from modern market infrastructure under government-supported urban markets projects, Iganga Central Market continues to operate in ageing facilities amid unresolved governance and land management challenges.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
