26 March 2020 – Ministry of Agriculture re-opens Kalungulu markets

Type of Intervention: Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Civil Defence, Finance/Economy, Local Government
Level of Jurisdiction: District (Kalungulu)
Lead People/Agency: The Minister of Agriculture. The implementation of the directive is unclear, although the earlier efforts to close the market were done by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and the Uganda Police Force (UPF).

Overview: Ministry of Agriculture MP Vincent Ssempijja re-opens the market in Kalungulu District arguing that the presidential directive does not consider “permanent markets” in his directive and that the loss of 700 jobs would be too damaging. The target audience was his constituents (Vincent Ssempijja is also the MP for Kalungulu district). The intended effect was to avoid complete loss of jobs for the market vendors although it could also be intended for political benefit.
Full details here: https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/reopening-Lukaya-market-Vincent-Ssempijja-vendors-coronavirus/688334-5504750-ixw146/index.html

Type of Justification: No justification given