The government has ordered the reinstatement of 30 traders who were barred from operating at Mabibo Banana Market, in a move aimed at resolving a months-long dispute between the traders and Ubungo Municipal Council.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), Prof Riziki Shemdoe, directed the traders to resume business under written endorsements from local government authorities.
The directive followed a meeting with the traders on August 31, 2026, during which Prof Shemdoe received findings from a team tasked with investigating their complaints.
The case highlights the need for local authorities to balance enforcement of market regulations with protection of traders’ livelihoods and due process.
Prof Shemdoe also directed Ubungo Municipal Council to assess property belonging to Mr Frego Njovu, who claimed reimbursement for money he spent renovating a toilet at the market while serving as its manager.
In a separate directive, the minister ordered the council to return goods belonging to Mr Enock Kimwayeya, former chairman of the traders who lodged the complaints. The investigation team found that the council had acknowledged that the goods remained at the market after his removal.
The minister further instructed the Ubungo Municipal Director to appoint a new market manager and reassign the current manager to other duties, signalling concerns over the way the market has been administered.
The directives followed an agreement reached between the traders and the municipal council during the minister’s meeting with both sides.
The dispute dates back to a complaint submitted to Prof Shemdoe on January 15, 2026. The 30 traders alleged that they had been prevented from accessing the market and that their trading spaces had been confiscated and subsequently sold.
The council had removed the traders over allegations that they incited unrest and failed to recognise the municipality as the authority responsible for managing the market.
The latest intervention places emphasis on resolving the dispute through administrative action while restoring traders’ access to their businesses.
It also puts the municipal council under renewed scrutiny over the management of public markets and the handling of disputes involving small-scale traders whose livelihoods depend on access to trading spaces.