Itendero, Sheema—
The Minister of Local Government, Hon. Barugahara Balaam Ateenyi, today morning visited Itendero Matooke Market in Sheema District as part of his ongoing Anti-Corruption Campaign and service delivery follow-up in Local Governments.
The Minister was received by the Town Clerk, the Speaker, and the Mayor, and held an engagement with vendors and leaders at the market.
During the visit, Hon. Balaam inspected the market facilities and listened to concerns raised by the vendors about management, revenue collection, and the general state of the market.
Toilet too small, new one to be built
The Minister noted that although the existing toilet at the market was in good condition, it was too small to serve the growing number of vendors and buyers. He directed that a new, bigger toilet be constructed using the balance of the available funds.
Parking and lockups to be reorganized
Hon. Balaam also directed that parking be returned to the main road, and that a U-Shaped lockup structure be constructed so that buyers can easily see the matooke on display.
He tasked the Chairperson LCV to work closely with the Mayor to ensure this is done as soon as possible, to improve access, visibility, and sales for vendors.
Tender contract not to be renewed
In a major decision, the Minister directed that the contract for the tenderer should not be renewed.
Instead, the vendors in the market should form one association and open a bank account where market dues will be paid directly to the district, and not to the tenderer. The move is aimed at stopping alleged exploitation and ensuring transparency and accountability in revenue collection.
New leadership elected
The visit also brought a new chapter for the market leadership. Elections were conducted to rectify leadership at Itendero Matooke Market.
Rebecca Nuwaramura overwhelmingly won the election with 174 votes against 8 votes for Mrs. Namakula Rehma, making Rebecca the new Chairperson of Itendero Matooke Market.
Hon. Balaam congratulated the new leadership and urged the vendors to work together, embrace unity, and support the new association for the development of the market.
