Ntungamo Municipality Council has approved construction designs for a new Central Market, to be constructed under phase three of the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project.
The new market will replace a structure that was first constructed in 1982 when Ntungamo was still a town board under the administration of the greater Mbarara District. Its designs were presented to the Council by the Eng. Emmanuel Mwebaze, an Infrastructure Engineer from the Ministry of Local Government, as one of the steps undertaken to pave for the project.
Eng. Mwebaze said that they are seeking approval of the architectural designs from 18 urban councils that have been listed to benefit from the third phase of the project, and later present them to the Ministry of Finance, and the African Development Bank for funding. The other markets will be constructed in Kisoro, Bushenyi, Rukungiri, Kibale, Mpigi, Masindi, and Koboko, among others.
He said they will construct a storied building because of space limitations. The current Central Market sits on 0.89 acres.
Michael Lugayizi, the Manager of Infrastructure Cost Management Consultants (ICMC), the architect in charge of the construction said that the design impressions of the market present two fronts; one two-storied side and another designed as a three-storied.
He said that once the funding is secured, the construction will cost around 24 billion Shillings. The market will accommodate 450 vendors once completed.
Boaz Kumwesiga, the Park Ward representative said that the architectural designs presented are good and that the market will create a different brand for the Municipality, especially on the Kabale-Mbarara highway.
Abias Nagaba, the Chairperson of Ntungamo Central Market, welcomed the initiative saying that since its construction in 1982, the current market has never received any facelift and was already in bad shape.
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