Senior Reporter
Raphael Magyezi, the Minister for Local Government, has approved a new charging policy to guide the Kabale Municipal Council in collecting local revenue fees from vendors operating in the Kabale Central Market.
Magyezi announced this decision during his two-day visit to Kabale, where he engaged with market vendors. The visit, which concluded on Monday morning, aimed to address reported irregularities in allocating market spaces following the market’s completion last year. The new charging policy, set to take effect on June 1, 2024, is designed to generate local revenue to cover utility expenses such as electricity, water, and security.
Under the new policy, vendors operating pitches, fish dealers, and chicken dealers will be subject to a local revenue tax of 15,000 shillings, while butchers will be charged 150,000 shillings. Charges for lock-ups on the ground floor will range from 100,000 to 150,000 shillings, among other fees.
Magyezi emphasized the importance of fair allocation of market spaces and revealed plans to engage with vendors who had occupied the market for forty-nine years to ensure fairness. He clarified that the new market guidelines do not recognize vendors who claim to be landlords, asserting that the government, through the Kabale Municipal Council, is the rightful owner of the market.
However, Rev. Canon Jack Katarishangwa, Chairperson of the Kabale Central Market Lock-Up Owners Association, urged the government to consider their investments, highlighting their financial contributions since securing occupation permits in 1989. He called on the government to honor these permits by providing lock-ups until the end of their agreed-upon lease terms.
Meanwhile, around 290 vendors filed a petition last year against the Kabale Municipal Council and the Attorney General, contesting the new market guidelines. The case is scheduled for a verdict on August 28, 2024.
