From Struggle to Prosperity: Thousands Applaud President Museveni, Local Government for Kitooro Market

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reported that vendors at Kitooro Market in Entebbe have praised President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the central government and local authorities for developing the market, saying the facility has improved trading conditions for small businesses. The outlet described the market as a modern commercial space that replaced less reliable working conditions for many traders in the Kitooro area.

According to the report, Kitooro Market Master and Deputy Town Clerk Christine Damalie Nazziwa said the facility opened in 2020 after being built under the government’s Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Programme, known as MATIP. She said the multi-storey market includes space for general merchandise, butchery services, fresh fish, poultry and food-roasting activities, along with management systems such as CCTV cameras and public address equipment. Watchdog Uganda said Nazziwa put monthly revenue collections at between Shs25 million and Shs35 million, while noting some delays in payments by traders.

The article highlighted individual vendors, including a tailor identified as Eddy, perfume trader Ainomugisha Vera, poultry seller Mwanje Jonathan and charcoal vendor Fatuma Nangendo, who said the market had provided cleaner, safer and more predictable places to operate. Management is also considering expanded roasting days and a daycare facility for traders with young children, according to the report.

The development matters because municipal markets are a key part of Uganda’s urban informal and small-business economy. While the Watchdog Uganda article presented Kitooro Market as a successful government intervention, further independent assessment would be needed to evaluate broader impacts such as vendor affordability, occupancy, revenue use and long-term maintenance.