St. Balikudde Market (Owino) Vendors are living in a state of fear after tycoon Hamis Kiggundu who is also a real estate developer visited their market and to a person survey.
Ibrahim Katuntu one of the vendor who is one of the current security leaders in the market said that Hamis Kiggundu who is also the owner of Ham Shopping Mall in the last week of December visited their market three times something that worries the vendor they may lose their market to the real estate developer.
He said that Kiggundu was accompanied by Kampala Deputy RCC in charge of Kampala Central Division Yasin Mbidde and Emmanuel Kuteesa who is in charge of markets in state house and this occurred during day time and they were guarded by police from old Kampala Police station.
Henry Kiryowa who was a vendor in Park yard said that there indicators which show that St. Balikudde market is also going in the hands of Tycoon Kiggundu just like it was the case with Park Yard.
It is alleged that on December 14th,2022 KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka convened a secret meeting at City Hall and some of Kiggudu’s assistants were in attendance and other KCCA high ranking officials.
The maneger of Ham Shopping Mall who is also a younger brother of Kiggundu who preferred to remain anonymous said that his brother has never and he doesn’t have any interest whatsoever in taking over Owino Market because it is still entangled in wrangle which has dragged on for long.
He called this total madness by the vendor who alleged that because his brother last visited Owino 9 years ago despite being neighbor to the premises of Owino.
‘’ I don’t think Kiggundu has interest in taking over and developing Owino because its ownership is engulfed in ownership wrangle’’. He said.
The deputy spokesperson of KCCA and Deputy RCC incharge of Kampala central refused to make any comment as regards to Kiggundu’s visit to Owino Market.
By George Bukenya