ARRANGEMENTS to relocate vendors from the Jinja central market to pave way for the reconstruction of the 79-year-old market are underway.

Jinja municipal council has awarded tenders to five contractors to work on the relocation sites where the vendors will be temporarily transferred. The municipal engineer, Said Mohammad, said the vendors will be relocated to a site along engineer Zikusooka Road.

Mohammad in an interview with the New Vision on Wednesday identified the contractors who won tenders at the relocation sites as Pagoda Stores which will fence the area where the vendors are to be relocated, Club 3 responsible for leveling the site, Thita Construction responsible for unblocking the drainage system and construction of a ten-stance pit latrine below the taxi park to cater for the vendors.
Framu Multi Consult will fence off a
stretch at Spire Road where dealers in washing bays and building materials are to be relocated. He said motorcycle and bicycle transporters will also be relocated just adjacent the taxi-park. Mohammad disclosed that the sh191m project is funded by the central government.
The central government decided to reconstruct the market and works on the project are expected to start in July, he said.

Jinja central market was built in 1932 and has a capacity of 7,000 vendors. The market has experienced mysterious fires twice which led to the loss of millions of shillings. Mohammad said over ten companies including international ones had expressed interest in bidding for the reconstruction of the market.

They include Roko construction company, Excel, Dott Services, Spencon, Yanjian Uganda company a Chinese international company currently undertaking construction of the office block in Kampala and Lamba Enterprises.