A section of vendors who sub-rented their allocated lockups in Kabale Central Market last year have lost ownership to the current operating vendors.
After being allocated space, some vendors chose not to operate in the market and instead rented out their lockups to small-scale vendors. Additionally, some lockups were discovered to be owned by political and civil servants in Kabale District, which violates the new market guidelines.
During a second physical verification of vendors led by the Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi, last month, some lockups were found open while others were closed. The open lockups often had both landlords and tenants present.
Some of the individuals who lost their lockups were identified as Kabale municipality staff members, although the verification team did not disclose their identities. The affected lockups included A2-059, A2-073, A2-068, A2-072, and A2-071, among others.
Minister Magyezi stated that lockups will only be allocated to vendors actively operating in the market. He emphasized that the new guidelines do not grant full ownership rights to vendors and that renting space to anyone other than the Kabale Municipal Council is prohibited.
