KISORO, UGANDA: Mupaka Town Council Town Clerk, Aaron Twambazimana, has been cleared of claims that he personally authorised an illegal roadside market to operate and collected taxes from traders at Kamara Market.
The clarification follows a meeting held on Friday between Twambazimana, the management of The Lens Reports and security officials at the office of the Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (OC CID), where the contents and fairness of a story published earlier this week were discussed.
Following the meeting and a review of the matter, The Lens Reports acknowledged that its original story was unfair to Twambazimana, particularly in the way allegations against him were presented.
The publication created the impression that Twambazimana had personally authorised the operation of an illegal roadside market and was collecting taxes from traders in violation of government directives.
However, it was clarified that the circumstances surrounding the traders’ operations and the role of Mupaka Town Council were more complex than presented in the original report.
The weekly Kamara Market is currently not operating, having been closed by the Government of Uganda as part of measures related to controlling the spread of Ebola.
The traders currently operating along the roadside are understood to be mainly foodstuff traders seeking to sustain their livelihoods while awaiting further guidance from the relevant authorities and the reopening of the main market.
It was further clarified that the money collected from the traders is intended to support temporary sanitation and garbage-management services. The collection was reportedly approved by Mupaka Town Council leadership in relation to the temporary roadside trading activities.
The original story, published on Monday, reported allegations that Twambazimana had allowed traders to operate at a roadside market and collected taxes despite directives from the Ministry of Local Government aimed at regulating markets under the Trade Order Policy, as well as measures concerning markets near the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border.
The story further alleged that Twambazimana had continued collecting taxes from traders operating at the roadside market without complying with government directives, and that the market had continued to operate despite concerns from authorities over its location and operations.
According to the original report, Twambazimana had previously been advised to follow the directives but had not responded to the advice, prompting the matter to be presented before the District Security Committee.
However, Twambazimana denied the allegations, saying the traders were not operating a market on the road.
The dispute comes amid a long-running disagreement over market operations in the area.
The publication has therefore issued an apology to Twambazimana and its readers for what it described as an inaccurate and incomplete presentation of the matter.
The Lens Reports remains committed to accuracy, fairness, balance and credible journalism in all its reporting.
