President Museveni Commissions Busega Market, Urges Traders To Embrace Wealth Creation

By Gad Masereka

Kampala, Uganda – In a significant stride toward economic transformation and urban development, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni officially opened the long-anticipated Busega Market on Monday, setting the tone for his Kampala leg of the Parish Development Model (PDM) tour.

With First Lady Maama Janet Museveni by his side, the President cut the ribbon to a state-of-the-art facility that is expected to reshape the commercial rhythm of Busega and enhance the livelihoods of thousands of traders who have long operated in informal and often unsafe environments.

The President’s message was direct and aligned with the ruling National Resistance Movement’s longstanding agenda: structured development begins with empowering the ordinary Ugandan to work productively in dignified spaces.

Addressing a crowd of enthusiastic residents and local leaders, Museveni underscored that the new market was not merely a physical upgrade but a strategic intervention to support wealth creation through reliable service-based work.

“Selling by the roadside is a survival tactic, not a sustainable enterprise,” Museveni remarked. “With this market, we’re giving our people a safer and more sanitary environment. But more importantly, we are helping them transition into structured commerce, where earnings can be stable and growth is possible.”

The market, funded under government development programs and constructed to meet modern standards of hygiene and safety, is designed to accommodate over 2,000 vendors.

Its completion is being hailed as a critical achievement in a city grappling with congestion, informal trading, and insufficient commercial infrastructure. Prior to the launch, most vendors in Busega operated under temporary structures or open spaces along dusty roads, where exposure to harsh weather and health hazards was routine.

In his address, Museveni took time to elaborate on the larger purpose behind the Parish Development Model, describing it as a deliberate mechanism to lift households from subsistence to the money economy.

“The PDM is not about politics—it is economics at its most basic. Every Ugandan must be engaged in a form of work that produces surplus. That’s how you create wealth. That’s how families develop,” he explained.

He also expressed appreciation to the Busega community for embracing small-scale trading and service provision, noting that such activities play a vital role in sustaining urban economies. “What I saw here encourages me. These women and men are not waiting for white-collar jobs; they are in the market early, working hard, contributing. That is the spirit we must multiply across all parishes,” he said.

While the launch was largely celebratory, the President did not shy away from offering firm counsel. He warned against idleness and dependency, especially among the youth, and urged Kampala residents to use the new market as a platform for innovation and financial independence.
“The NRM does not support laziness. Every able person must find a way to work. Whether you own a stall or work in one, what matters is that you are part of the economic engine,” he told the crowd.

As part of the same event, government officials and city leaders walked the stalls with the First Lady, inspecting the layout and interacting with early vendors who had already begun setting up shop.

Janet Museveni, speaking briefly at the sidelines, echoed her husband’s remarks and urged women, in particular, to take full advantage of the improved facility to scale up their enterprises.

The opening of Busega Market marks not just an infrastructural milestone but a symbolic shift in the government’s approach to inclusive urban development.

For the vendors who now have a roof over their heads and hope in their pockets, the market represents more than shelter, it is an opportunity to redefine their economic future within a system that finally recognizes their role in national development.