Despite repossession of the ownership and running of the Nakasero Market administration activities, KCCA have remained adamant on the presidential directive of compensation of the vendors who had initially acquired a lease with an aim of developing the market to the modern standards.
In 2020 cabinet resolved that government should repose the ownership and administration of all public markets and abattoirs following outcry of vendors being mistreated by their leaders through charging of what government termed as illegal fees and extortion which caused a lot of unrest in the markets.
The president after the cabinet decision of repossessing all public markets, directed that KCCA should take over the administration of the said markets but on condition that it compensates those who had paid for lease with interest in it but KCCA took over the markets and went ahead to recruit administrators and wardens who are administering the markets ignoring the presidential directive of carrying out compensation first.
Fred Ochieng a vendor and the former secretary of the committee that was running Nakasero Market before KCCA repossessed it says that the vendors under their umbrella organization of Nakasero Market Sitting Vendors and Traders Limited they acquired the lease of 49 years after paying KCCA Ushs 1.8 billion and an annual ground rent of Shs 90m in 2007 when Jennifer Musisi was still the Executive Director of the institution then.
Ochieng says that it’s now almost 3 years since KCCA ousted them but they have not received any communication from the institution’s leaders on when and how to compensate the vendors their amount invested in the lease and ground rent despite several remainders they instead take those who are demanding for a fair play as enemies of the institution and resort to witch-hunting them.
“Our leaders where chased away from the market even the SACCO offices were broken into by KCCA officials and our SACCO documents taken but we will not rest the case until justice prevails to the vendors . Even if we die we have proper documents that indicate ownership of the market and our sons and daughters will one day demand for fairness and justice.’’ Ochieng lamented.
“We are very much cognizant that KCCA has guns, courts and the money to fight us but cannot destroy us completely because they are just violating the law.’’ He said.
The public relations officer of KCCA Simon Peter Kasyate said that Nakasero market offices were closed after forcefully evicting the interim market leadership that had refused to vacant offices. So it is treated as a scene of crime as of now unfortunately although the same offices housed the Vendors SACCO.
Kasyate also admitted that KCCA is collecting fees from offloads and the money collected is banked on the consolidated fund account.
“It’s true that the Authority is collecting fees from trucks which normally enter the market to offload goods and our revenue collectors are not allowed to receive cash rather they issue receipts and the vendors pay directly to the bank and Payment is automated.’’ Kasyate explained.
On the issue of compensation he said that the solicitor general is yet to advice on the issue on how its should be handled and vendors who had invested in the market should be a little bit patient.
By George Bukenya