Masindi’s Kirasa market turned into garden
“We are struggling as vendors. Without basic facilities, we can’t move to the new site. We need urgent support,” she said.
Masindi: Kirasa Market, located in Kirasa 1 Cell, Central Division of Masindi Municipality is now being used as farmland.
Constructed during the 2019/2020 financial year, the two-acre market has become a garden filled with maize and beans. During a visit by our reporter on Tuesday, September 22, 2025, some residents were found weeding and clearing additional space for cultivation.
Despite its original purpose, vendors have shifted operations to an ungazetted site along the roadside in Kirasa Trading Centre, citing the lack of basic infrastructure at the official market.
Doreen Asaba, a resident of Kirasa Cell, said she began farming on the land after another cultivator gave it up. “My neighbor told me she was leaving, and if I needed land for cultivation, I could use it. So I started planting crops there. I don’t pay anyone for the land,” she explained.
Hamza Kabaka, the area LC1 Chairperson, confirmed that although the market was officially commissioned, no lockups or permanent structures have been built. “With no facilities, people started cultivating the land to prevent it from turning into a hideout for criminals,” Kabaka said.
He added that the current vending area is unsafe, as it is along the main road, and called on the government to build the necessary infrastructure so that vendors can be relocated.
“Once the market is developed, it will attract customers not just from Kirasa but from Masindi town and neighboring areas,” he said optimistically.
Augustus Bigirwenkya, the Central Division Secretary for Health, noted that vendors have not moved to the designated site because it lacks lighting, lockups, and basic sanitation.
“We appeal to municipal authorities to construct lockups so that vendors can finally occupy the market,” Bigirwenkya urged.
Sherifah Birungi, Chairperson of Kirasa Market, said they were informed that relocation was suspended because the newly constructed toilet had developed structural cracks, posing safety risks.
Vicky Driciru, one of the vendors, appealed to authorities to construct a toilet, install lighting, and build lockups. “We are struggling as vendors. Without basic facilities, we can’t move to the new site. We need urgent support,” she said.
In response, Betty Kyomuhendo, Deputy Mayor of Masindi Municipality, acknowledged that the market was built on what was previously a garbage dumping site.
“Before development, this land was used for dumping waste. After the decomposite plant was established in Kikwanana, leaders decided to convert the area into a market,” Kyomuhendo said.
She revealed that the toilet developed cracks due to the uncompacted garbage beneath the surface, and that the entire area requires garbage exhumation and soil compaction before further development can continue.
“We plan to construct a store so vendors can keep their produce nearby, especially since many live far from the market site,” she added.
Kyomuhendo clarified that the roadside vending site currently in use is not officially gazetted, meaning the municipality cannot construct infrastructure such as toilets there.
“We can’t build a toilet in an ungazetted market. If vendors are to be relocated to the new site, we must first fix the issue with the cracked toilet,” she concluded.
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