Kabale Municipality — Hon. Balaam, has today returned to Kabale Central Market to listen to more complaints from vendors and to check whether his earlier directives to end the landlord cartel have been implemented.
Hon. Balaam, who is on a week-long anti-corruption baraza in the Kigezi Sub-region under President Museveni’s directive to expose corruption in Local Governments, first stormed the market on Friday, October 23rd.
During that first visit, he found that government lock-ups and stalls meant for low-income vendors at Shs 80,000 per month and Shs 120,000 per year were being rented out by private absentee landlords at up to Shs 5 million per year through middlemen.
He had issued firm instructions:
- There are no landlords in a government market — Kabale Municipality is the only landlord.
- No trader should own more than one lock-up or stall.
- All closed 52 lock-ups being used as private stores must be opened and re-allocated.
- All payments must go directly to the Municipality bank account, not to individuals.
- 100 traders who have been paying rent to private landlords to be registered as owners.
Today, Sunday, Hon. Balaam went back to the same market to do a physical verification.
After the Kabale Central Market meeting, Hon. Balaam and his team are expected to set off to Kisoro District to continue the same anti-corruption baraza.
