MUKONO – There is a bitter row between Mukono Municipality Mayor George Kagimu and area Member of Parliament Betty Nambooze over a plot to evict vendors.
The row stems from the proposal by Mayor Kagimu to evict close to 120 vendors.
“I ask that the vendors be relocated to another place because during the Tuesdays that they operate within a month they block the road which causes traffic.” He said
In the new proposal, the municipality has asked the vendors to vacate and find alternative places to operate from.
The vendors mainly operate at Kame Valley.
The proposed eviction hasn’t gone down well with Ms. Nambooze who has asked the rich and those who can afford a good standard of living to learn how to live simply so that the poor and vulnerable can at least live in the community.
Ms. Nambooze made the remarks during a meeting with vendors in the Municipality at Kame Valley in Mukono District after the Municipal council made a decision to relocate the traders to yet an unidentified place.
On hearing the council’s decision, the traders led by their Chairperson Lawerence Mukasa sought intervention from the legislator on the matter.
During the meeting, Ms. Nambooze said that if they are to shift them at least they should find a place that is strategically located.
“Yesterday while looking at the budget of the Municipal I realized that there is no single cent allocated to this market. If they are to relocate the market then they should make sure that where they are taking you should be as valuable this place,” she said
She noted that when development finds you it is not supposed to displace you but rather develop together with the people it has found.
Ms. Nambooze went ahead to cite Mr. Kagimu’s failures during his time in office saying that he doesn’t touch the big fish who are building in road reserves but instead disrupting other people’s business only come to operate twice in among from the market.
“Mr. Kagimu is not touching the big fish who are building in road reserves but he is in-convincing the small fish who only come to work twice in the month to provide for their families,” she added.
Kagimu fires back
Mr. Kagimu said that Ms. Nambooze is using hate speech to do her campaigns instead of helping people who voted her.
He said that the transfer is not to happen as of effect it is something that will happen with time.
“As a leader at the Municipal, I am trying to develop the Municipality. Relocating those people is something we plan to do in the long run. As of now, we are still trying to find a place where we can move these traders.” He said
In the meantime, he encouraged people with the land and would like to sell to contact the Municipal authorities so we can buy and set up a market for them.
