The traders at Nakawa market in Kampala are counting losses after a fire gutted a section of the market on Monday morning, March 25, 2024, resulting in the loss of valuable property worth millions.

According to the Mayor of Nakawa division, Paul Mukasa, the fire broke out at around 4:30 a.m, leaving half of the market burned. He revealed that an alert was made by the traders who slept in the market after making the alarm.

“The biggest part of the market has burned; our people have lost their property after a lot of things got spoilt. I have called upon security to investigate the cause of the fire,” Mukasa said.

Mukasa added that the incident occurred at a time when some of the market leaders were imprisoned after being arrested by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) law enforcers, including the chairman of the market, Joseph Mudarasa.

“What is sad is that when this fire caught the market, the chairman, Mudarasa, was caught by KCCA and is currently in prison at Luzira,” he added.

One of the eyewitnesses, identified as Julius Kibilige, who is also the deputy in charge of security in the market, said that there were people who took photos illustrating the magnitude of the fire that destroyed their property and currently don’t know what is next.

“When the fire started, the speed at which it started was too quick because, in a short time, it spread everywhere,” Kibirige said.

The Uganda Police has initiated an investigation into what caused the fire.

Multiple incidents of fire gutting markets have been reported recently. A significant fire incident occurred at the Kigungu Landing site in Entebbe municipality on May 26, 2023, affecting over 300 households and causing substantial losses to vendors.

A similar incident occurred in December 2013 at Nakivubo Parkyard market, following a fire that broke out around 4:30 a.m, destroying merchandise worth millions of shillings. These events highlight the devastating impact of fire on markets.