Africa-Press – Uganda. Hundreds of residents of Itojo Sub-county in Ntungamo District and surrounding areas throng Mabunu market every last Saturday of the month not only to buy commodities but also have fun .
The market, which was established in September 2021, and sits on nine acres, was leased to the community to set up development projects for 10 years.
Mr Joshua Tayebwa, the founder of the project, said the facility aims at empowering locals economically.
“We realised that it is not sustainable to give handouts to people. It is better to show them how to make money. Mabunu (meaning buttocks) is a marketing gimmick. We used a catchy word. When you hear the word, you would want to actually find out what is there,” he said.
Unlike other conventional markets, Mabunu provides recreational activities.
“Village people rarely have a fun day out, so we created an hour between 5pm and 6pm filled with activities such as sack race, games, wrestling, and old time activities where people can rewind and laugh,” Mr Tayebwa said. Mr Lucky Natukunda, a resident of Mbarara City, said the facility promotes local tourism.
“We wanted to know what Mabunu was about, it is fun. It is a tourism market. Almost every month, we plan to visit it,” he said.
The market has also promoted development in the area.
“Previously, an acre of land was Shs5m but it has more than doubled. It has also changed how people think about villages, no one knew a year ago that this place would be having more than15,000 people every Saturday,” Mr Moses Munanura, a resident of Itojo town, said.
Mr Tayebwa said they do not charge any fees.
“We approached the district leadership and convinced them to start a community market, they gave us a waiver where we do not get money from people to hire stalls. This was given to the investor but our objective was to make the place known,” he said.
According to Mr Tayebwa, operating a weekly market in a village is not sustainable because traders always have a route chart of markets.
“Traders move everyday, which means that for this market to be successful, it has to happen when there is no other one operating, otherwise it could be operating daily,” he said.
Mr Tayebwa said they also show the landlords opportunities.
“The biggest challenge is accommodation for people who come, if they (land owners) can get an acre from the land and build cottages or rooms, there are opportunities. We keep showing them such opportunities so that they develop their land,” Mr Tayebwa said.
Mr Denis Muhumuza Savimbi, the sub-county councillor, said the market has saved residents from walking long distances to access services.
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