The Shadow Minister for Education, Gonzaga Ssewungu, has raised concern over the increasing incidents of market fires in Kampala, which have resulted in extensive losses.
Reports show that a fire outbreak at Katwe Market destroyed more than 700 businesses, with property worth millions of shillings reduced to ashes on 15th March 2026.
Hon. Ssewungu, who also serves as the MP for Kalungu West County, called on the government to provide an explanation and a detailed report on the recurring fires.
“Can we understand what is happening with Kampala Capital City Authority? Numerous fires are breaking out, and people are losing their property and livelihoods, even in Jinja,” he questioned.
Ssewungu further noted that many storage structures are being put up in Kampala without essential fire safety measures, such as fire hydrants.
He recommended that KCCA installs fire hydrants in markets and arcades as a measure to mitigate such incidents.
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, who chaired the plenary session on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, directed that Parliament should allocate adequate resources to enable KCCA to address these challenges.
She also advised the MP to review the report compiled by the Committee on Presidential Affairs, which outlines the issues affecting KCCA.
On behalf of the government, the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, pledged to present the matter to KCCA leadership and the Minister for Kampala.
In a related development, the Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, called on the government to clarify why KCCA arrested vendors who had begun demolishing sections of a building, only for the authority to later demolish the same structure.
The Shadow Minister for Kampala and Lord Mayor-elect, Ronald Balimwezo, supported Ssenyonyi’s concerns, stating, “We require a comprehensive report from the Minister. Two lives were lost, and I personally spoke to the Executive Director, who confirmed issuing a demolition order to the developer, yet no one has been held accountable.”
He further urged the Speaker to establish a committee to investigate the matter.
However, Speaker Among guided that forming a new committee was unnecessary, noting that KCCA would appear before the Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises for further scrutiny.
