700 Njeru Market vendors operating without toilets
Angry. Njeru Central Division chairperson Resty Nanteza (centre) speaks during a meeting between Njeru Market vendors and officials from the Inspectorate of Government at the market in Buikwe District on Monday. Left is the municipality engineer Robert Taitika and market vendors. PHOTO BY DENIS EDEMA.
What you need to know:
- She said her office receives between 16 to 19 cases of land grabbing and corruption monthly but Njeru takes the lead. “Our office received complaints against the engineer whose file is with us and we are in the final stages of summoning him to defend himself,” Ms Baru said.
Buikwe. More than 700 traders at Nile Market, Njeru Municipality in Buikwe District, say they are operating without a toilet after land meant for its construction was allegedly sold by the municipal engineer.
The traders were on Tuesday meeting officials from the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), Auditor General, Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority and NGOs at the market.
For this reason, the traders say they have to face the inconvenience of going to the Taxi Park and nearby fuel stations to ease themselves.
“We remit taxes to the municipality and expect services; however, we don’t have toilets and security lights yet we pay for this as well,” Mr Abdallah Bogere, who operates a butcher in the market, said.
The market chairperson, Mr Stephen Okoboi, said the market is in dire need of toilets, security lights and a well-managed garbage collection plan.
“We have requested for the above services but nothing has been done yet we contribute a lot of money to the government,” he said.
The residents have called for the transfer of the municipal engineer, Mr Robert Taitika, whom they accuse of laxity “because he is about to retire”.
“I kneel before you today demanding for the transfer of Mr Taitika, who is the source of these problems and divisions in this municipality,” the Njeru Central Division chairperson, Ms Resty Nanteza, said.
However, Mr Taitika denied selling the said land, saying he temporarily allocated it to a businessman for use and the municipality can access it anytime.
IGG says
Corruption rampant. The IGG representative in Mukono District, Ms Dominic Baru, said Njeru Municipality leads in corruption and land grabbing in the area that she covers, including Kayunga, Mukono, Buikwe, Buvuma, Luweero, Nakasongola and Nakaseke. She said her office receives between 16 to 19 cases of land grabbing and corruption monthly but Njeru takes the lead. “Our office received complaints against the engineer whose file is with us and we are in the final stages of summoning him to defend himself,” Ms Baru said.
