By Micheal Atwakiire
Sheema: Over 500 Traders from Bugongi Market, Bugongi Town Council, Sheema District have vowed to Discipline Tugume Wilson the Mayor Bugongi Town Council and the Town Clerk Mugabe Arthur Kanyonyi if they try migrating Bugongi market.
It is alleged that some councilors of Bugongi town council passed a resolution of blocking both Monthly and Weekly market days of Bugongi market and decided to migrate traders to Rwanama village, in Kyamurari Parish 2 kilometres away from Bugongi, which traders opposed.
According to inside reports, the main intention of transferring this market is to develop and sell plots [where the market is now] to some investors and those willing to construct buildings.
When SpyUganda talked to some of councilors, denied allegations of having passed a resolution to shift the market saying, they just talked about it but agreed to give it time.
“When they brought that idea, most of the councilors opposed it, so we concluded saying that they first prepare that small place near the current market and after we shift them politely and in a convenient way.
We shall pass it with time however some of us are shocked to see the mayor and his town clerk chasing daily traders, plus creating unnecessary new roads across the market saying that they are soon transferring the market. What made matters worse is to hear that documents of selling the market land are already at the District Procurement’s Office, now we wonder what type of procedures they followed,” Orikiriza Ambrose Kakumu the area
councilor said.
TheSpy reporter visited the new market area but unfortunately found it swampy and too small to accommodate even 200 people.
However much Government and NEMA try to restore wetlands, Bugongi town council is massively aiming at degrading them. This is true because, they have started draining the swamp which is full of water and reptiles.
Most traders we talked to threatened to deal with theMayor and town councilors who are gearing the transfer of the Market.
Remember this is the third time Tugume trying to shift this Market. In two terms he has spent in mayor ship Bugongi.
Our reporter tried to reach Tugume but denied him interview.
However, the Town clerk complained that on market days, they can’t work. “On Market days, we don’t work properly because some traders lay their businesses even in our compounds, more so after the market, they leave too much dirt in our place after the market which takes us time to clean, we shall shift it to the swamp near the forest then we permanently shift it to Kyamurari. We shall pour there enough hips of soil to that swamp until
we make the place suitable for the market, I think it will cost us like 3 to 5 million,” Arthur said.
Bugongi market currently accommodates more than 1000 traders and it is alleged that the council corrects a revenue of more than 700000Shs. It was put in place in 1962 by late Kamyomyo and Kyampira.
