Poor Hygiene Threatens Business At Kabundaire Market In Fort Portal
Market vendors operating at Kabundaire Market have decried the poor sanitation in the facility, which they say has greatly affected their sales.
The market, which hosts over 3,000 vendors, is filthy, with flies hovering all day. The vendors say this has driven their customers out of the market.
The traders say the sanitation situation in Kabundaire Market is so bad and even the roads are not any better because vehicles delivering goods regularly get stuck in the market area because of the mud. The situation has been made worse by the heavy rains that are now falling in Fort Portal.
The vendors say the market authorities have to improve sanitation because they pay daily dues to the market management and therefore deserve good services.
Others say that whenever it rains, a large part of the market area floods, destroying their produce, and the resultant mud also paralyze movement. The traders want the authorities to construct drainage channels and also tarmac the roads around the market.
Steven Lubega, the chairperson of the market says that the poor sanitation at the market exposes the vendors to diseases like dysentery and cholera. He says he has raised the matter with Fort Portal City authorities but they are yet to respond.
Richard Muhumuza, the Mayor of Central Division urged the vendors to be calm, saying that the city authorities will address the issue in the next financial.
