The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has broken ground on the construction of a modern market facility in Ggaba, Makindye Division, advancing a presidential directive requiring every Kampala division to establish at least two organized public markets.
The project is financed under the $162.64 million Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Programme (GKMA-UDP), with funding from the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD). Construction works are scheduled to be completed within a two-year timeframe.
Speaking during the launch on Thursday, KCCA Executive Director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki stated that the facility will resolve space shortages and provide legal, serviced workstations for informal vendors relocated during recent Trade Order enforcement drives.
“When we started implementing the Trade Order and relocating street vendors, you asked us where we would put you. We asked you to go to the available markets as we prepared where to put you. We are now constructing this market for you,” Buzeki said.
She affirmed that vendors previously registered during city decongestion operations will receive first priority during stall allocations under a strict "one vendor, one stall" policy.
Commercial Capacity and Specialized Facilities
Designed to cater to Ggaba’s high-volume lakeside economy, the commercial complex will incorporate:
- 743 stalls, 173 lock-up shops, 60 general retail shops, 47 open pitches, and 168 restaurant spaces.
- Dedicated Cold Storage & Processing: Temperature-controlled cold rooms and dedicated on-site water treatment plants to support the fish trade and uphold sanitary food-handling standards.
- Social & Business Infrastructure: An on-site day-care center to assist nursing mothers and trading parents, administrative offices, a conference hall, public sanitation blocks, standby power generators, and dedicated vehicle parking.
- Youth Innovation Hub: A top-floor business center dedicated to free technical skills acquisition and entrepreneurship training for local youth.
The State Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Hon. Kabuye Kyofatogabye, emphasized that while traders will hold protected occupancy and operating rights, permanent ownership of the asset remains with KCCA.
“We want all market spaces to be used for trade and we want trade to take place in legal spaces,” Kyofatogabye said, urging traders to steer clear of partisan friction that disrupts market management.
Kampala Lord Mayor Ronald Balimwezo Nsubuga directed the supervising engineers and contractor to maintain high standards of structural integrity and adhere strictly to the 24-month project timeline.
He cautioned the trading community to prioritize environmental hygiene and desist from dumping waste, noting that preserving the water quality of neighboring Lake Victoria is vital to sustaining Ggaba’s fishing economy.
The Ggaba development marks the first of several planned modern trading nodes in Makindye Division as part of the broader GKMA-UDP infrastructural upgrades encompassing metropolitan road rehabilitation, drainage systems, and commercial redevelopment.
