No Demolition Planned for Owino Market, KCCA Assures Parliament

KAMPALA – The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has allayed fears of demolition at St. Balikuddembe Market, commonly known as Owino, stating that only targeted improvements are planned for the ageing facility.

Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), KCCA Executive Director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki told lawmakers that the authority has no plan to do away with the market. Instead, she said, KCCA intends to carry out repairs on critical areas such as the leaking kitchen section, the vegetable area, blocked drainage systems, and faulty electrical wiring.

“Some of those small repairs, we cannot wait until five years. We go in, the moment they write to us, installation of electricity, this wire has a problem, we go in,” Buzeki said.

The appearance before COSASE was part of the committee’s consideration of the Auditor General’s report on KCCA for the 2024/25 financial year. The session was dominated by questions from legislators seeking clarity on the authority’s future plans for Owino market following recent demolitions in parts of the city.

No Evictions for Now

Responding to concerns from vendors who feared being chased away, Buzeki assured the committee that KCCA’s current strategic plan contains no provision for evictions.

“For the time being, do we have plans of doing away with the window market? In our strategic plan, we don’t have a plan to do away with the window market; what we have planned is to do improvements,” she said.

She added that if funding is secured in the future for a complete reconstruction—similar to what KCCA is undertaking at Usafi, Kamwokya, and Gabba markets—vendors will be engaged and involved in approving designs. “There is nothing which will be done in the dark,” she emphasized.

Rent Question Stalls Debate

The committee also heard that KCCA has taken full possession of Owino market after the lease of the previous owning group expired. However, when legislators asked whether the authority collects rent from traders, Buzeki disclosed that vendors at Owino—and across all 17 public markets managed by KCCA—do not pay rent.

“The only thing they pay for under the law is utilities. But they occupy those markets as nurseries,” she explained, noting that the markets serve as incubation spaces for small-scale traders.

The revelation drew sharp questions from MPs, including Medard Sseggona (Busiro East), who questioned why taxpayers’ money should be used to repair structures that generate no revenue for the authority.

“So, you are spending our money to achieve what, if we are not collecting?” Sseggona asked.

Calls for Clarity on Improvements

Some legislators pressed for more details on what the planned “improvements” would entail. David Mpindi, the National Representative for Persons with Disabilities, asked whether the work would go beyond superficial repairs.

“When you say improving, and there is no plan of demolishing, what do you mean? Are you just painting the stones?” Mpindi queried.

In response, Buzeki reiterated that the immediate focus is on fixing critical infrastructure failures, while any major structural changes would be developed in consultation with vendors and brought back to Parliament for scrutiny.

Land Ownership and Acreage

The committee also sought to establish the exact ownership and size of the land on which Owino market sits. Richard Sebamala (Bukoto Central) raised concerns that traders feared the land could be handed over to private developers, citing a nearby drainage project as an example.

Buzeki acknowledged the request and asked for more time to provide precise details. “On the acreage, Chair, we have the titles, but I request that I give you the exact acreage on Tuesday,” she told the committee.

The session was adjourned with the committee expecting further documentation from KCCA on the market’s land title and the authority’s long-term plans.