Kabale market Chairperson protests demolition, says Uganda lacks rule of law

The Chairperson of Kabale Central Market Traders Association Simon Mashemererwa has said that the local government’s award of a contract to Chinese International Construction Company [CICCO] to construct demolished Kabale Central Market is a clear indication of lack of the rule of law in Uganda.

On August 22, 2019, Kabale High court presided over by Justice Moses Kawumi Kazibwe extended an interim order restraining Kabale municipal council and its agents from relocating traders and demolishing the central market until February 2020 when the main application will be heard.

This was after traders and lockup owners under Kabale Central Market Traders Association (KCTA) led by their Chairperson, Mashemererwa petitioned court seeking an interim injunction halting the registration exercise by Kabale Municipal Council ahead of the planned construction of the market arguing that the registration was done without the involvement of their leadership, among other irregularities.

Despite the court order, on August 24, 2019, Kabale municipal council started demolishing Kabale Central market in a bid to pave way to the relocation of traders and construction of the new market and on 30th of the same month the traders relocated to new centers at former Kabale police barracks playground and in Mwanjari at former Kabale municipality cemetery.

On Tuesday last week, the local government represented by Ben Kamugisha, the permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government awarded a contract to the Chinese International Construction Company [CICCO] to construct Kabale Central Market at a cost of Shs24.6 billion, the work that is expected to be completed in the next two years.

Now speaking to Watchdog Uganda on Sunday Kabale town, Mashemererwa said that the government’s award of the contract despite the court order restraining the construction of the market is a clear indication that there is no rule of law in Uganda. He wonders how the government that is supposed to be the custodian of the law can defy its own set laws.