“Enough is Enough”: Hajjat Namyalo Sacks Iganga Market Leaders, Orders Fresh Elections in 2 Weeks

The Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs and Manager of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, has ordered the immediate dissolution of the interim leadership of Iganga Central Market, bringing renewed hope to hundreds of traders who have for years grappled with leadership wrangles, alleged financial mismanagement and the abuse of government empowerment programmes.

The landmark decision followed a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened Tuesday, July 07, 2026, at the Iganga Municipal Council headquarters, where market vendors, district leaders and government officials openly laid bare the challenges that have crippled one of Busoga’s busiest commercial hubs and undermined the implementation of government wealth creation initiatives.

Hajjat Namyalo was received by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Eric Ssewandigi, Iganga Municipality Mayor Nasser Kongola, the NRM Chairperson for Iganga Municipality Abbas Ssajabi, the District Police Commander SSP Elepot Eria, the special representative of the District Woman MP Hon. Mariam Seif, ONC coordinators and other district leaders.

Hundreds of traders thronged the meeting, many carrying years of frustration over unresolved leadership disputes, alleged extortion, poor accountability and limited access to government programmes intended to uplift their businesses.

For many vendors, Hajjat Namyalo’s return was more than an ordinary official visit as she fulfilled a promise she made during her impromptu visit to Iganga in October last year after traders accused market leaders of extorting money from vendors under the guise of enrolling them into the government’s Katale Loan Scheme.

That October intervention resulted in the arrest of the then market leadership over allegations of swindling vendors’ savings and exploiting wealth creation initiatives for personal gain, also the culprits were layer released with no charges. At the time, Hajjat Namyalo vowed that the Office of the National Chairman would not abandon the traders until lasting solutions were found.

And now, Tuesday’s engagement, marked the continuation of ONC’s commitment to ensuring that government programmes reach their intended beneficiaries while holding accountable those entrusted with public responsibility.

Central to the complaints was the Katale Loan Scheme established through the market SACCO. The aggrieved vendors said they diligently saved money hoping to qualify for affordable loans to expand their businesses, only for the programme to allegedly become synonymous with mismanagement and broken promises.

Many claimed the funds had instead benefited a few individuals while ordinary traders continued struggling to grow their enterprises. Their frustrations, they said, had eroded confidence in both market leadership and government programmes.

Speaking before Hajjat at the meeting, Iganga Principal Commercial Officer Herbert Kisaame acknowledged the challenges affecting the implementation of the Katale Loan Scheme.

“The President’s intention was to empower market vendors through affordable financing. Unfortunately, bureaucracy and weaknesses in implementation have frustrated the programme, denying many genuine beneficiaries access to the support they deserve.”

He called for reforms aimed at simplifying access to government initiatives while strengthening accountability among those entrusted with implementing them.

Mayor Raises Wider Development ConcernsOn this part, Iganga Municipality Mayor Nasser Kongola, who subscribes to the opposition NUP, used the meeting to highlight broader development challenges affecting the municipality.

Among them was the long-delayed Seed Secondary School project. Kongola noted that although the municipality had already secured three acres of land, government requirements call for at least five acres before construction can commence.

He appealed to Hajjat Namyalo to present the matter to President Museveni and support efforts to secure the additional land required. “Our children deserve equal access to quality education. We request intervention so that this long-awaited Seed School becomes a reality for the people of Iganga.”

Kongola also raised concerns over the continued leadership impasse at Iganga Central Market, saying more than 15 years of instability had crippled service delivery and created fertile ground for abuse of office, extortion and financial mismanagement.

Kongola also questioned the proposal to elevate Bugiri Hospital to regional referral status while Iganga Hospital remained a general hospital despite serving as the central healthcare facility for much of Busoga. “Iganga serves the wider Busoga region and deserves equal consideration in government planning. We request fairness in these strategic decisions.”

RDC Exposes PDM Irregularities

Resident District Commissioner Eric Ssewandigi echoed concerns about leadership wrangles at the market and extended the discussion to the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM).

He revealed that investigations had uncovered alarming discrepancies in the amounts received by some beneficiaries. “It is unacceptable that beneficiaries expected to receive Shs1 million ended up receiving only a fraction of that amount. Such practices defeat the purpose of government’s poverty eradication programmes and must be investigated.”

The RDC appealed for continued ONC oversight to restore public confidence and strengthen accountability.

Responding to the numerous concerns raised, Hajjat Namyalo reminded traders that she had promised to return to Iganga and ensure their grievances were addressed. She emphasized that accountability, transparency and servant leadership are fundamental pillars of President Museveni’s vision for wealth creation.

 “Government programmes are intended to transform lives, not enrich a few individuals. Every shilling allocated by government must benefit the intended beneficiaries.”

On leadership woes, the ONC Boss strongly criticized the practice of imposing market leaders on vendors without their participation. “Leadership belongs to the people. Nobody should impose leaders on market vendors. They must freely choose those they trust to represent their interests.”

Declaring that “enough is enough,” Hajjat Namyalo announced the immediate dissolution of the interim market leadership and directed that members of the outgoing administration should not even be eligible to contest in the proposed elections in order to restore confidence and guarantee a genuinely fresh start.

The ONC Manager instructed the RDC, the Mayor and other district leaders to oversee a transparent election process within two weeks. “Within two weeks, this market must have leadership chosen by the vendors themselves. Let democracy prevail because the market belongs to the people.”

She reaffirmed that the Office of the National Chairman would continue monitoring government programmes to ensure that every Ugandan benefits from President Museveni’s wealth creation agenda.

Renewed Hope Among VendorsThe announcement was received with loud applause from traders, many describing the intervention as long overdue.

Fish vendor Muyobo Enock said the dissolved administration had subjected vendors to years of exploitation. “We have waited a long time for someone to listen to us. Today we finally feel that justice has come to our market.”

Other traders expressed optimism that the fresh leadership would restore accountability, improve service delivery and rebuild confidence in government programmes.

They thanked President Museveni for entrusting Hajjat Namyalo and the Office of the National Chairman with protecting ordinary citizens from exploitation.

Roadmap for New LeadershipRDC Eric Ssewandigi announced that a roadmap for electing new market leaders would be unveiled the following day.

He directed all members of the dissolved administration to immediately hand over official documents and any property under their custody to facilitate a smooth transition. “The process begins immediately. We shall ensure that the next leadership is elected transparently and truly reflects the wishes of the vendors.”

The intervention forms part of the Office of the National Chairman’s broader nationwide campaign to monitor and strengthen government wealth creation programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga and other economic empowerment initiatives.

Through regular field engagements, ONC continues to identify implementation gaps, listen directly to wananchi and ensure that public resources deliver tangible improvements in household incomes.

For Hajjat Namyalo, the mission goes beyond resolving disputes—it is about safeguarding President Museveni’s vision of inclusive socio-economic transformation, where every Ugandan has the opportunity to participate in the money economy through accountable leadership and effective government service delivery.[7/7, 7:39 PM] Money Lender: Headline .