Meeting the Market Management
The management of the market is a key part of my study of markets in Kampala. The current management of Owino Market is under the company Store Lock Up and Vendors Association (SSLAO), a company owned by owners of spaces, stalls and Lock Shops in Owino . I came across their website: http://ssloa.com/about-ssloa/ with some details about them and their project to develop Owino Market before starting my fieldwork in Kampala :
'' SSLOA decided to acquire and develop the market because of the following reasons:
The vendors have to develop the market in order to compete favorably with the malls in the Central Business District.
They also needed additional facilities like cold storage which are not available in the current market set up.
They also need space to expand ''
Hakimu Sseviiri (a masters student and member of the Urban Action Lab at Makerere University) has some experience working with urban markets in Kampala and he offered to accompany me to introduce myself and my project to the management. After navigating the market to find the management offices, we entered a door labelled 'finance office' with a gentleman and lady seated within it. Hakimu introduced us and they requested we obtain official letters of introduction from our institutions before conducting any research in the market.
A few days later, we went back to the market with a letter and were directed to the Chairman's office. His secretary, outside his office, received the letter, took it into his office and a few minutes later asked us to enter his office. After reading the letter, he asked a lady who had just left his office to assist us. I introduced myself and my project and she asked us to return to the project office to see her later that day as she was rushing to a meeting.
A few points from the first meeting with her:
She took us to her office, in the middle of the market away from the other market management offices.
She has been working in the market for 20 years and is one of the top leaders in the market, she leads a large group of female traders in the market and set up an association to support female vendors the market named, Tzunguke community.
There are two levels of leadership in the market, the top leaders (from the SSLAO) and leaders for the different zones in the market.
The role of the management includes: providing security, collecting revenues, garbage collection, cleaning and more.
Development of the market was a key topic discussed - plans that the SSLAO have had to develop the market for a while but acquiring the right funding and investors has been a challenge - the plans are not currently progressing but they are continuing to look for investors.
Costs stalling SSLAO's development plan: legal cases opened against them and also paying licences for garbage collection of 12mllion UGX per month
( £2500) which is not being collected.
Concern that the market may be taken away from them and vendors will be moved further out of town.'
How can land owned by thousands be given to one person?'
Many of the vendors are worried that they will be moved - the management wants to protect them but there is growing scepticism about the SSLAO's intentions.
These concerns are heightened by various developments are going on around my site, particularly the previous neighbouring Park Yard Market where thousands of vendors were evicted and it was demolished to pave way for a new commercial building - see previous post: https://topographyoftrade.wixsite.com/kampala/single-post/2017/07/11/Series-of-commercial-development-projects