Vendors Up in Arms over insufficient power supply in Kabale Central Market

By The Source March 4, 2023 508 Views

By Ambrose Mugisha

KABALE- A section of Vendors in Kabale central Market produce section are up in arms over insufficient power supply to run their grinding machines.

The vendors led by Tumusiime Joy Kanoti, Kakuguri Vincent, and Byansi Robert say that the lockups which were allocated to them have electricity for only lighting one bulb yet they have got their grinding machines to grind their produce.

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They added that the authorities led by Benon Nfitumukiza the Principal town agent, southern division in Kabale municipality denied them a chance to grind using the electricity in their lockups by supplying the central market with low power voltage.

They said that they could make high sales before the demolition of the old Market.

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They further added that they no longer make profits as most of the money is spent on the transportation of their grains to and from the machines outside the market for grinding.

Tumusiime Joy Kanoti added that her phone takes more time on charger to be fully charged unlike in the old market where her phone would take 2 hours to be fully charged.

They revealed this during a three days physical tour that was led by the Kabale district deputy RDC Ronald Bakaki and officials from the ministry of local government verifying the list of all traders that where allocated working places in the Kabale Central Market

Kiiza Jack Robinson the chairperson of the produce vendors on the verification committee of stalls said that most of the profits is spent on transport.

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He added that Benon Nfitumukiza the Principal town agent, southern division in Kabale municipality warned them against connecting their grinding machines on the electricity in their rooms

However, the Kabale municipality mayor Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha trashed the complaints saying that the vendors were not used to Yaaka and now they are using it as an excuse to blackmail the authorities.

The new facility was constructed at a cost of 23billion shillings by the Chinese Chong Chuing International Construction Company under the World Bank-Funded Markets and Agriculture Trade Improvement Program III (MATIP) in 2019 and handed it over to the government in early December 2022.