Kayunga Traders Appeal for Government Intervention Over Delayed Shs9bn Market

What the report says

Displaced traders in Kayunga Town have appealed for government intervention over a delayed commercial building project meant to house vendors who were moved to make way for construction. According to Nile Post, the three-storey market structure was expected to give traders organised spaces to restart business, but progress has stalled and the vendors say repeated assurances have not been met.

The traders said the delay has stretched their financial hardship and disrupted their livelihoods. They also said local leaders had indicated that the first floor would be completed by August 4, 2026, but that target passed without visible progress. The stalled work has left many of them still operating in uncertain conditions while waiting to return to a permanent trading space.

State Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development Amos Lugoloobi said the slowdown was linked to procurement problems in the district. Kayunga District Chief Administrative Officer Edith Mutabazi said the project was not abandoned and added that the government had released Shs250 million for the second phase, half of the Shs500 million planned for the current financial year.

Mutabazi said construction is expected to resume within two weeks. The dispute highlights broader concerns about coordination, procurement delays and delivery of public infrastructure in the district. For the traders, the project remains important not only as a market but as a way to stabilise incomes and restore more orderly trading conditions.