It was a yellow affair yesterday at Nakasero market in Kampala as multitudes of ecstatic NRM supporters gathered to welcome the NRM party’s director for mobilization, recruitment and cadre development Hon. Rosemery Nansubuga Sseninde.
The NRM party chief mobiliser, Sseninde was on her second leg of the tour in the sixteen markets in Kampala where she met and interacted with leaders on issues affecting vendors.
Addressing the yellow donned crowds, Sseninde asked market leaders to ensure that people they lead to benefit from government programmes meant for poverty eradication. She pledged to end the suffering of market vendors as she will front all their concerns to relevant authorities for an immediate remedy.
“I would like to assure you that we have a comprehensive plan to make sure that market vendors work in a worry-free condition. NRM has a manifesto that focuses on eradicating poverty among people. We want to see people living a happy life,” said Sseninde.
“I have moved in many places in Kampala but I haven’t encountered any hate for NRM as people portray. This means that people believe in NRM very much and we are ready to serve everyone regardless of political affiliation.” “When we have challenges, she added, “They affect all of us not specifically people who don’t support NRM.”
The former state minister for education in charge of primary education, Sseninde assured vendors that she is on a fact-finding mission in markets and she is ready to change their lives in good collaboration with their leaders.
“I have come to realize that some of you have received emyooga funds and others haven’t. Leaders should reach out to authorities such that you can be helped. We have got many programs to eliminate poverty among Ugandans, market vendors inclusive. Our focus is to bring services to you through your leaders,” Sseninde noted.
The veteran legislator who represented Wakiso district woman constituency for twenty years pointed out in her usual candid speeches that market vendors form a big population that contribute to national development. She added: “At least stimulus package for your businesses is necessary due to covid induced challenges.”
Amiably speaking, Sseninde urged market leadership to embrace government programmes, saying that, everyone must be a beneficially, “Whether you support NRM or not. Maybe one time you will remember that NRM government helped you,” she said amidst chants and ululations from ghetto youth and women who enraptured in her support.
Sseninde also assured the traders that markets will benefit from the Parish Development Model in a special way. She promised to keep in touch with the KCCA and market leadership to ensure that traders benefit from the PDM. She told the traders that she was also their ‘buddy’ and wanted to move forward with them. The NRM mobilizer urged traders to shun selfish and misleading politicians, advising them to instead seek the intervention of the government whenever they have issues.
Kimuli Faridah, the secretary for progressive women Market vendors association and Nakasero market leader urged the government to intervene and support women by extending the skilling programmes to all markets. She also requested for a stimulus package for women and also to help in the resettlement and integration plan of the ghetto youth who were chased from streets where they were doing itinerant trading.
“We are working with KCCA to create space for our friends to come and operate from here. So far majority of the women and ghetto youth who have been operating from the streets are now in the market,” Kimuli said.
Sseninde however contributed a sum of 500,000 shillings cash to help in resettling the ghetto youth. She pledged continuous interaction with market communities and a cordial working relationship with their leadership.
The function ended with a yellow-designed cake cutting, as a symbol of market leadership’s commitment to work with the NRM government.