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How markets in Ankole got their unusual names
Women vend different vegetables in Mbarara Central Market recently. Several market in Mbarara and Ankole Sub-re- gion in general have catchy names. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
Due to the sub-region’s strategic location near the borders of Tanzania, Rwanda, and DR Congo, as well as highways that connect to Uganda’s Capital Kampala, traders have branded markets with unique names to boost their businesses
There are several markets in Ankole Sub-region that bear unusual names. These names, according to some traders, attract more clients to the markets.
Some of such market names include Kabagarame, Mabunu, Koranorya, Kagarama, Kyorora and Kyarenga.
The sub-region, located in the southwestern part of Uganda, comprises 12 districts, namely Buhweju, Bushenyi, Sheema, Rubirizi, Mitooma, Ntungamo, Rwampara, Mbarara, Ibanda, Kazo, Kiruhura and Isingiro.
It has a population of 3,608,968 people, according to the National Population and Housing Census of 2024 by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos).
Koranorya Market
“Koranorya” in Runyankole language means “work as you eat.” The market is located in Biharwe Ward, Mbarara City North Division. It is next to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Second Division Barracks in Makenke on the Mbarara–Masaka Highway.
Residents say this popular market was established in the 1970s. It deals mainly in foodstuffs. It attracts customers from as far as Kampala and beyond.
Mr Israel Kaganzi, 70, a resident of Makenke in Biharwe, says the market acquired its name following the then unstable situation in the country. During that time, incidents of abductions fuelled mainly by political persecution, were a common occurrence in the 1960s and 1970s during the late Milton Obote and Idi Amin’s regimes.
“People were not certain about the next day so they would say let us toil as we enjoy the fruits of our sweat,” he says.
The youth, however, take the name literally to spend lavishly in bars and drink till dawn.
Mabunu Market
Mabunu is a Runyankore word for “buttocks”. The market is in Rwemihanga Cell, Ruhanga Parish, Itojo Sub-county, Ntungamo District. According to its proprietors, it was opened in 2021.
The market gained its fame from its bizarre name. It was established during the Covid-19 lockdown by four relatives in Rwemihanga Village, Ruhanga Parish, Itojo Sub-county. Every last Saturday of the month, hundreds of people from all corners gather for business at the market.
One of the proprietors says the market was named after buttocks to attract attention and distinguish it from the other similar markets.
Mr Denis Muhumuza Ssavimbi, one of the proprietors, says their choice of name was informed by the need to have a catchy name that would attract customers.
“Weird names always attract people to things they can relate with. Mabunu is trending everywhere,” he said.
Kabagarame Pork Market
It is located in Kayojo Ward, Ruharo Central Division, Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, about 2kms off Mbarara-Bushenyi Highway.
Ms Vangilista Batutuka, one of the elders who witnessed Kabagarame Pork Market grow, recalls that it was founded in 1976.
“There was a man called Zakaria Ssabalenzi, who donated land to us for development purposes. We used to bring and sell our local beer here and the area attracted many people,” she recalls.
She adds: “We later started a weekly market every Saturday but along the way, we discovered people were not enjoying drinks without accompaniment and that is when we started pork roasting.”
People would enjoy the pork delicacy, drink and then bask in the sun.
“We would just lay our mats in the open and rest there, Kugarama (lying on your back facing the sky) and thus the name Kabagarame,” she says.
Kyarenga Market
Kyarenga is located on the Kikagati-Mirama Road in Rwebicuncu Cell, Ruborogota, Isingiro District. It was named Kyarenga because of the big number of people who attended the weekly market in 2018.
“No one believed it would pull big numbers of people in a few weeks, many people would come to the market to transact, so people would say “ekyi kyarenga,” literally meaning “this is too much,” Ms Sylvia Asiimwe, a vendor in the market, explains.
Kyorora and Kyehabure
The two markets are located in Ibanda District. Kyorora is in Bufunda Ward, Ibanda Municipality. It is famed for its cheap food, with some meals costing as low as Shs1,500. Kyorora loosely means “raising someone”.
Mr Steven Kazooba, the chairperson of Bufunda II Cell, Bufunda Ward, Ibanda Municipality, says the market was established 40 years ago. It has since attracted a big number of traders.
People are attracted to the market because of its good hygiene.
Ms Brendah Akankwatsa, a food vendor at the market, says she has spent eight years vending food in the market.
Kyehabure Market in Kakinga Ward, Ishongororo Town Council, Ibanda District, is operates on Monday evenings. Although the origin of its name is not clear, Mr Julius Kayondo, a resident, says the name started surfacing around the Covid-19-induced lockdown in 2020 after a few people started bringing food items along the road.
Complied by Felix Ainebyoona, Rajab Mukombozi, Julius Byamukama, Jovita Kyarisiima and Cosline Nakahiira
KAGARAMA MARKET
Kagarama Market is located in Kagarama Town Council in Ntungamo District. Kagarama is a Runyankore word to mean lying on one’s back in a relaxed mode. It has become popular because of its weekly delicious pork that attracts people from all corners. Mr James Muhirwe, 65, a resident of Kiwani in Kagarama Town Council, says it has been in existence for more than 80 years. “Recounting tales from our parents and forefathers, fun lovers would storm the market for local brew and waragi [local gin]. Phrases like “Waza Kugarama” loosely translated to mean “have you gone to relax?” were common. Eventually, the place was named Kagarama, now a town council and has a popular weekly market every Tuesday,” he said.
