Lord Mayor Ronald Balimwezo urges government to recognise and compensate traders who personally financed stalls in Kampala markets.
Kampala market traders who invested their own money in constructing stalls should be compensated if the government takes over the markets, Lord Mayor Ronald Balimwezo has said.
Balimwezo raised the issue during discussions between Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) officials and representatives of city traders, where questions surrounding market ownership, leadership, revenue collection and traders’ welfare came under scrutiny.
He argued that while several of Kampala’s major markets sit on land controlled by KCCA, some traders personally financed the construction of the stalls and shops from which they operate.
For that reason, he said their financial contribution should be recognised in any government takeover or restructuring of the markets.
Kampala market traders want their investments recognised
The debate affects traders in markets including St Balikuddembe, commonly known as Owino Market, as well as Nakawa, Bugolobi and Nakasero.
Balimwezo said concerns about ownership and investment in the markets had repeatedly emerged during his previous engagements with traders.
His position is that ownership of the underlying land and ownership of developments made on that land are separate issues that should be examined carefully before traders are displaced.
He called for money to compensate affected traders to be considered in the national budget if the government intends to assume control of privately developed stalls.
Nakawa traders raise similar compensation concerns
The compensation debate has been particularly visible at Nakawa Market.
In September, traders there said they had invested personal funds, including money borrowed from banks, to develop stalls after reaching an arrangement with the former Kampala City Council in the 1990s.
Nakawa Market chairman George William Bunjo said traders began constructing individual stalls around 2000 and argued that those investments should be valued before any takeover is completed.
The traders subsequently petitioned Balimwezo at City Hall, asking him to intervene.
Balimwezo told them he supported consideration of compensation and said he would push for the issue to be addressed through the 2026/27 budget process.
KCCA to assess market ownership questions
KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki said the authority’s Central Executive Committee would examine questions surrounding the ownership of stalls before deciding how to proceed.
She said KCCA first needed to assess the circumstances surrounding the disagreements and establish an appropriate way forward.
The discussions form part of wider efforts by KCCA to improve the management of Kampala’s public markets and address long-running disagreements involving leadership, infrastructure, trading space and revenue collection.
KCCA has also been holding consultations with market leaders and traders to strengthen cooperation in the management of public markets.
Kampala market traders question leadership and revenue collection
Traders used the meeting to raise several concerns beyond compensation.
At Nakasero Market, trader Zaituni Nakiganda questioned the process for choosing market leaders and raised concerns about revenue collection.
She said traders wanted greater access to KCCA officials and clearer information about how decisions affecting the market are made.
Representatives from Owino Market also sought clarity over land ownership and the management of revenue-generating facilities within the market.
Owino representative Nsolo Yasin additionally raised concerns about an electricity debt reportedly running into hundreds of millions of shillings despite traders making regular payments.
Traders ask KCCA for stronger welfare support
The talks also highlighted everyday challenges facing people working in Kampala’s markets.
Owino trader Aisha Nakigozi called for a daycare facility inside the market to support traders who work while caring for young children.
She also asked authorities to reconsider how traders affected by flooding are identified for compensation, arguing that some people who suffered losses had not been included in earlier assessments.
The flood compensation issue is already receiving government attention. In September, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said the government was preparing to distribute Shs20 billion pledged to Kampala traders affected by the October 2025 floods. According to the government announcement, 737 traders had been identified for consideration following verification.
Balimwezo calls for regular talks with traders
Balimwezo also proposed quarterly engagements between KCCA and market traders to prevent unresolved problems from escalating.
He urged traders and market leaders to deal with internal disagreements and use dialogue when addressing problems with the city administration.
KCCA has similarly encouraged greater cooperation between market leaders, traders and city authorities as it works to address infrastructure, sanitation, leadership and trade-order challenges across Kampala.
The compensation question is likely to remain an important part of those discussions as authorities determine how to distinguish public ownership of market land from investments made by individual traders.
For the affected Kampala market traders, the central concern is straightforward: if their stalls were built using their own savings or borrowed money, they want the value of those investments considered before ownership or management arrangements change.
