Balaam Orders Crackdown on Middlemen at Mbarara Central Market, Announces New Rent Rates

What the report says

Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara has ordered Mbarara City Council to crack down on people he says are subletting stalls and lock-up shops at Mbarara Central Market, a government-funded facility in western Uganda. During an unannounced inspection reported by Nile Post, he said some occupants were collecting inflated rent from traders instead of using the spaces themselves, which he argued defeats the market’s purpose of supporting low-income earners and small-scale vendors.

According to the report, Barugahara told city authorities to verify who is actually operating from the market and to remove those renting out public space for profit. He said a fresh registration exercise should identify the rightful beneficiaries and create a direct tenancy system between traders and Mbarara City Council. The minister also said officials would investigate people suspected of improperly occupying or subletting the market facilities.

Barugahara announced a proposed rent structure meant to replace what he described as arbitrary charges by middlemen. The suggested monthly rates are Shs80,000 for lock-up shops, Shs30,000 for fish vendors and Shs20,000 for fruit and produce vendors. He said some traders had reportedly been paying as much as Shs150,000 for a lock-up shop.

The issue matters because Mbarara Central Market has faced previous disputes over fees and tenancy arrangements, including earlier complaints from vendors about affordability and verification of occupants. The latest directive signals a renewed effort to tighten oversight and ensure public market spaces benefit the traders they were intended to serve.