MBALE, UGANDA– Operations at Mbale Central Market have been thrown into turmoil after the Mayor of Mbale Industrial City Division, Abdallah Madoi, suspended the Market Master and ordered an immediate halt to all revenue collection. The drastic measures follow explosive allegations of systemic corruption, revenue mismanagement, and a collapse of essential services within one of the city’s busiest trading hubs.
The suspension of Market Master Wambazu comes just months after the market’s management was officially transferred from the City Centre administration to the Mbale Industrial City Division Council, a transition formalized in a letter from City Town Clerk Abirebe Assy Tumwesigire dated February 13, 2026. Since that transfer, Mayor Madoi says, the financial records tell a damning story of potential theft.
"Our records show that from February to date, only Shs18 million has been reflected in the official accounts, yet vendors continue to pay fees daily," an incensed Madoi stated during an impromptu assessment of the facility. "Where is the money going? How can we improve hygiene, pay water and electricity bills, maintain roads, or collect garbage when the revenue is being misused?"
The Mayor pointed out that Mbale Central Market, which is larger than its counterparts in Gulu and Soroti, should be generating significantly more revenue. Markets in those towns reportedly collect up to Shs100 million, yet Mbale’s facility, despite operating at full capacity, appears to be hemorrhaging funds.
To stem the suspected bleeding, Madoi has directed all vendors to stop paying market fees until Monday next week. During this suspension, the Division administration and the Town Clerk will step in to directly oversee revenue collection and investigate the financial discrepancies.
The crisis has laid bare the market's deplorable conditions, which vendors say persist despite their continued tax contributions. Kenneth Onen, the Division Secretary for Health and Education, described the sanitation situation as a public health timebomb. He revealed that the market has been without a reliable water supply for nearly a decade.
"The market has gone nearly 10 years without reliable water. We inspected the meat and fish sections, as well as the toilets, and it is only by God's grace that people have remained safe from disease outbreaks like Ebola," Onen warned, pledging immediate intervention.
Councillor Hawa Namono, the Division Secretary for Finance, attributed the crisis to deep-seated weaknesses in the market’s financial management system. "If local revenue is not reaching the division, service delivery will suffer. Everything from road maintenance to garbage collection depends on proper revenue management," she said.
Vendors have welcomed the crackdown, with many claiming the Shs18 million figure is a fraction of what is actually collected. Wofidi Isima, a market vendor, did not mince his words. "If the market only collected that amount, then there must be ghosts taking our money. The people collecting revenue are simply thieves," Isima charged.
Geoffrey Magona, Chairperson of the Electronics section, highlighted a chaotic verification process as a key source of revenue leakage. He explained that City Council officials frequently arrive with conflicting lists, issuing payment codes for the same lock-up to multiple vendors via the Interswitch platform, leading to confusion, disputes, and lost taxes. Vendors suspect the shift from the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS) to the Interswitch platform is facilitating the graft.
Zaidi Wandulu, a Division Councillor from Mutoto Ward, backed the Mayor’s action, citing presidential directives. “The President declared this term ‘Kisanja No Sleep.’ We have come to work for our people,” he stated, adding that the Mbale City Council had been operating the market illegally, as the Local Government Act grants divisions the authority to manage such facilities.
The suspension of fees remains in effect until the division administration takes direct control of revenue collection next week, as the hunt for answers—and the missing millions—intensifies.
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