Hoima: Displaced street vendors now occupy previously abandoned markets

Street vendors in Hoima City’s West Division have taken an alternative approach to occupy and operate from the initially abandoned marketplaces in Kibingo and Kyesiga Wards, following the Tuesday night trade order operations by the city authorities.

Kibingo, Kyesiga and Nyarugabu markets were, however, recently alternative marketplaces given by the division council on February 26, 2026, to the 300 street vendors who were operating along Duhaga Roundabout market commonly known as Kidomole market.

For more than four years, the markets which were put into use were abandoned by both communities and other traders, who blamed their locations for businesses.

The council had resolved that the street vendors would be evicted by June 30, 2026.

Joice Nyangoma, one of the evictees from Duhaga roundabout market is okay with the situation, noting that the marketplace is equally strategically located for their businesses.

She appeals to the fellow traders who are still outside the market to get to the gazetted marketplaces for joint development.

Nyangoma urged the city authority enforcement teams to make a mandate for other shop owners who are still selling food items at their shop yards to shift to gazetted marketplaces.

“We really want the authorities to make it a mandate that all those who are selling food items within their shop areas shift to the gazetted markets,” she noted.

“Their failure to do that will make us lose sales since buyers will still buy from them outside the market,” Nyangoma continued

Another market attendant confirmed that they had more good customer turn-ups for their merchandise than they expected.

However, the market attendees identified security lights and water facilities as key facilities missing within the working area.

They called for the city authorities’ intervention to install those missing facilities in order to make the place a better working environment for them.

Ismail Ssekyanzi, male councillor representing Kihomboza Ward, noted that currently, the place is not such a good working environment since it lacks light and water facilities.

He called for cohesive collaboration among different stakeholders to lobby for those missing facilities for better security and hygiene of the market attenders.

Edward Ayesiga, the Hoima City West Division council speaker is pleased with the positive response by the evicted vendors to occupy those alternative markets.

Speaking about the missing facilities, he said that the authority already has a plan to secure and install all the missing facilities.

But those interested in entering the market are supposed to register with the office of the Divisional Commercial Officer, Ayesiga directed

Due to the large number of marketers which may not be accommodated by the available markets, Ayesiga said that there is also another intervention headed by the area woman MP Hoima City, Asinansi Nyakato and Ismail Kasule, West Division MP-elect to hire a plot of land along Butiaba Road near the lagoon.

The council will be scheduling at least a weekly market day, where different commodities will be sold and also those who will be unable to afford to rent stalls at the markets

Currently, over 50 are attending the Kibingo market while over 100 are attending the Kyesiga market.

Alternative market sites

On Wednesday, MP Asinansi Nyakato, Ismail Kasule MP-elect and Badru Mugabi Hoima RCC, and city authorities inspected a 2.5-acre piece of land in Kiganda 1 cell along Hoima Butiaba road in the division.

Previously, vendors had equally requested the city to provide them with land within the city premises, for reliable customers for their items.

During the inspection, Edward Lwanga the Hoima city clerk disclosed that the vendors popularly known as Kidomoole market vendors were evicted for their own safety and as part of a nationwide trade order implementation being done in different towns.

Nyakato expressed that the relocation process is expected to be fast-tracked, urging authorities to speed up the process because the vendors have food items that may go bad.

She said that the 2.5 acres inspected have been rented out by one Peter Ndiwalana to vendors through their associations and this will accommodate over 1000 among those from Duhaga roundabout and street vendors of Kiryatete.

She says they are now waiting for a “no objection letter” on the environmental social impact assessment given to the city authorities by NEMA for vendors to settle in the land.

The Hoima RCC, Hajj Badru Mugabi has also promised to expedite the environmental and social impact assessment of the new site to ensure it meets the required standards.

The vendors through their chairperson of Duhaga market vendors, William Musinguzi and a vendor identified as Anent Nyangoma Junjura appreciated the leaders for fighting for them.