Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara has directed landlords renting out stalls at Mbarara Central Market to vacate the premises, saying the facilities should be reserved for low-income traders who lack space to conduct business.

Barugahara issued the directive during an impromptu inspection of the market, where he found that some stalls were still being rented out under a landlord-tenant arrangement.

During the inspection, vendors told the minister they were paying Shs250,000 in monthly rent for their stalls, raising questions about access to affordable trading space in the public market.

Mbarara City Town Clerk Robert Nuwamanya pledged to implement the directive, saying the city would allocate the affected stalls to vendors who currently have no space to operate from.

The minister said the stalls should benefit their intended beneficiaries, particularly low-income traders who depend on the market for their livelihoods.

The directive follows a similar intervention in August, when Barugahara ordered an investigation into alleged illegal charges imposed on vendors at the market during his anti-corruption tour of Mbarara City.

He directed Charles Magumba, the Commissioner for Urban Administration at the Ministry of Local Government, and the Mbarara District Police Commander to investigate allegations that some vendors were being charged Shs200,000 to operate inside the market.

The latest inspection renews scrutiny of the allocation and management of trading space at the market, amid concerns over the charges traders face to access the facilities.