Africa-Press – Uganda. Vendors at Lubas Market in Jinja Southern City Division are crying foul after the court cleared a businessman to take over land on which the facility sits due to failure by Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) to repay a Shs3.5b loan.
The land, which is adjacent to Lubas Mosque, covers close to two acres and is one of the eight properties owned by UMSC that the Commercial Division of the High Court directed bailiffs of Louiza Auctioneers to attach.
When press visited the market on Monday, vendors were busy conducting their businesses amid fear that their stay in the area is likely to be short-lived.
Ms Safinah Were, a vendor of vegetables, urged whoever wants to take over the land to cooperate with them so that they can continue doing business in the area.
“They can redevelop the market by creating a ground floor for the vendors to operate from, while the upper floors can be used for other purposes such as offices,” Ms Were said, adding that she has nowhere to go because she has operated in the market for 22 years.
The mother-of-six added that she works in the market with her husband; therefore, if the new owner takes over the land, they will both become jobless.
Ms Sharif Botoli, who runs a restaurant in the market, said the court should spare the market land by choosing another piece of land that belongs to UMSC.
“It should think about low income earners like us because it (market) is our source of livelihood. I am a single mother and have to pay school fees for my three children,” Ms Botoli, who has worked for 15 years in the market, said.
Mr Isa Mukaya, who operates a salon in the market, said she is “speechless” because she is the family breadwinner, lamenting that if she is evicted, she has nowhere to go, and appeals to the government to come to their rescue.
Ms Loy Kagoya, a widow vending food, said she has been paying taxes for the past 20 years she has spent in the market but the city council has reportedly kept her and other vendors at arm’s length.
Ms Kagoya added that the little income she has been earning in the market has enabled her to sustain her family.
Mr Ali Mudhungu, who has operated in the market since 1987, said he has not received any letter from court about the land, adding that they were informed during Mr Muhammad Baswari Kezaala’s tenure as mayor that it (land) belongs to Muslims.
The chairperson of Lubas Market, Mr Peter Ngaba, said the facilities accommodates more than 300 vendors and that they are currently remitting close to Shs1m in revenue to Jinja City Council every week.
Mr Ngaba further said most traders acquired loans from Saccos and banks.
“We are sitting tenants and want the government to give us a chance so that we can buy the land as the market has been there for decades,” he said.
The Jinja District Khadi, Sheikh Ismail Basoga Adi, has, however, assured the vendors that no one would take over the land.
“It is true the land was put on the court’s attachment order but it does not belong to UMSC. It is owned by Jinja District Muslim Council. We can’t accept that. People should not worry,” he said.
The Jinja City Council deputy speaker, Ms Sirina Kyakuwaire, said she is still doing some research about the matter.
Sale of land
The application for execution order, which was filed by businessman Mr Justus Kyabahwa (debtor), arose from a protracted sale of land in which the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council sold land in Sembabule District to Mr Kyabahwa at Shs3.5b in 2020, now accumulated to Shs19b.
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