Traders count losses as fire guts Kitagwenda market
The remains of Kitagwenda Central Market that was destroyed by fire yesterday. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Preliminary police findings indicate that the fire started at about 3am on Saturday, before spreading to the entire market.
- Rwenzori West regional police spokesperson Vincent Twesige said the fire burn all the stalls made of wooden poles, timber, and iron sheets to ashes.
Traders operating in Kitagwenda Central Market in Kitagwenda District, western Uganda, are counting losses after fire gutted the facility at the weekend, destroying property worth millions of shillings.
Preliminary police findings indicate that the fire started at about 3am on Saturday, before spreading to the entire market.
Rwenzori West regional police spokesperson Vincent Twesige said the fire burn all the stalls made of wooden poles, timber, and iron sheets to ashes.
“The possible cause is that a charcoal stove with fire was left in the wooden kiosk and during our investigation, a broken charcoal stove was recovered at the scene,” he said.
The market, which has been in existence for four years, has been the main source of revenue to Kitagwenda Town Council.
Mr Anent Asiimwe, a vendor in the market, said she had stocked sacks of charcoal, six basins of Irish potatoes and other merchandise on her stall but they were all burnt.
“I don’t know what I will do; all my stock was burnt. I have got a bank loan to run my business to ensure that when the school term opens, I will have raised school fees for my children, I request the government to come to our rescue and give us some startup funds,” she said.
Mr Samuel Nuwagaba, who had been given a tender to collect dues on behalf of the town council, said he has invested Shs700,000 and expected to collect Shs2.5 million.
“I don’t know what to do, the market was burnt into ashes, I request the leadership of the town council to refund my money because the market is no more, where will I be collecting the money? I acquired the tender last week,” he said.
Mr Nuwagaba also said in the market, he had also stocked merchandise worth 800,000 and he was expecting to earn Shs1.5 million after sales.
Mr Musa Arinaitwe, the chairperson for the market, said each vendor was paying Shs60,000 for each stall and Shs200 as daily dues.
The leadership of Kitagwenda Town Council has established a committee to work with security agencies to investigate and document all the traders who were operating in the market and their burnt merchandise.
