Disabling governance: Privatisation of city markets and implications for vendors’ associations in Kampala, Uganda

doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2008.12.001

Habitat International

Volume 33, Issue 4, October 2009, Pages 397-404

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2008.12.001 Get rights and content

Abstract

Contemporary international models of governance prescribe the devolution of service provision to a range of non-state actors and the adoption of market-oriented policies. This paper explores the politics that have arisen from changes in the governance framework in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The focus is on the privatisation of the management of city markets and on the relations between the multiple actors involved—private contractors, vendors’ associations, cooperatives and state actors. In particular, the paper looks into the implications of the privatisation process for vendors and their associations. It argues that, while the latter have sometimes adjusted to the changes by turning into cooperative societies or creating their own management firms, increasingly, however, private interests external to the markets are taking over the management functions, sidelining or even repressing, vendors’ associations. The general picture is one of weakening associations and endangered possibilities for broad-based organising and interest representation.

Section snippets

Changing models of urban governance

International development institutions advocate models of urban management premised on the decentralisation of government responsibilities onto a variety of non-state actors (UN Habitat, 1996, World Bank, 2004). In these models, the local government ought to be a facilitator rather than a direct provider, by coordinating the provision of services and infrastructure by other actors and by entering partnerships with private enterprises, community organisations and non-governmental organisations.

Informalisation, political environment and associational initiatives

The urban economy in Uganda has experienced a rapid informalisation in the last decades. Policies of economic liberalisation, large-scale retrenchment, the decline of real incomes in the wage sector and the accelerated rural to urban migration in the context of armed conflict have all contributed to the growing number of urban dwellers engaging in informal income activities. The expansion of these activities has drastically changed the face of Kampala. According to the latest population census,

The privatisation reform

Uganda has implemented a privatisation reform, following the policy prescriptions of international financial institutions. Such a reform has included the privatisation of parastatals as well as the contracting out of basic services at the level of local governments. In the mid-1990s Kampala City Council began privatising service delivery in the city. With this policy turn, Kampala City Council adopted a ‘shared responsibility strategy’ as a modality for delivering urban services, which would

Parkyard Market

Parkyard is an unplanned market that lacks even the most basic infrastructure. It is located on the parking yard of the Nakivubo Stadium and immediately adjacent to the large St. Balikuddembe market (formerly known as Owino market). The goods being sold there include cocked food, cutlery, shoes and handbags, electrical appliances and cheap jewellery. The market has been declared as ‘legal’ by the City Council—possibly in order to formalise the management of the market and the collection of

Implications of privatisation for representation

The cases of the two markets described above illustrate two major trends that can be identified, following the privatisation of management of city markets in Kampala. In one case a cooperative society has assumed management functions. In the other case, representing a more dominating trend, a private company took over the management of the market. Both these shifts have had consequences for vendors and their ability to organise collectively and represent their interests in the public scene. But

Conclusion

This paper relates to current debates about the effects of changes in urban governance practices for popular urban groups. It addresses the new contradictions and tensions that arise from the diversification of actors in service provision. In particular it argues that models of urban governance promoting such diversification may, in some contexts, undermine the possibility of popular groups to organise collectively and run their own affairs. The empirical focus is on the consequences of

Acknowledgements

We are most grateful to the Centre for Basic Research in Kampala for affiliation and support. Special thanks to Dr. Josephine Ahikire. A number of individuals have contributed to the facilitation of the study. Thank you in particular to Mr. Robert Wanzusi, Ms. Flavia A. Otim, Mr. Apollo Nyangasi, Mr. Godfrey Kayongo and Mr. John Kalema and to all those that were generous with their time. Thank you also to the leaders of associations interviewed and last but not least, to all the vendors that

References (18)

R. Ballard et al.
Introduction: From anti-apartheid to post-apartheid social movements
S. Buhlungu
Upstarts or bearers of tradition? The anti-privatization forum of Gauteng
I. Elander
Partnerships and urban governance
International Social Science Journal
(2002)
C. Kabuga
Restoring the value of cooperatives in Uganda
(1998)
Kampala City Council (2002). Kampala District Development Plan 1999–2002....
I. Lindell
The multiple sites of urban governance: insights from an African city
Urban Studies
(2008)
P. McCarney
Confronting critical disjunctures in the governance of cities

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (28)

Ensuring food secure cities – Retail modernization and policy implications in Nairobi, Kenya
2018, Food Policy
Retail modernization with the influx of supermarkets is drastically changing the retail environment in many developing countries, especially in the face of rapid urbanization. In Nairobi, Kenya, the expansion of supermarkets has advanced much more compared to many other African cities with the Kenyan Government strongly promoting the retail modernization. In this study, we assess the impact of the pursued retail modernization on urban food access. The study reveals the limitations of using the supermarketization as a market solution to urban food insecurity. Supermarkets increase food access mainly for the higher income – and already food secure – consumers in the city, while the poor and food insecure are largely excluded from patronizing supermarkets and rely on the informal market. The study concludes by suggesting that food policies must embrace a new conceptualization of the food retail sector in which both formal and informal retailers coexist. Such more holistic food policies that stem from a food systems perspective are needed to build an inclusive urban food system that can tackle prevalent food insecurity in Nairobi. Although the research focused on Nairobi, the findings are of broader relevance to urban centers in the global South.
A city's “urban crack” at 4 a.m.: A case study of morning market vendors in Beijing's Longfu Temple area
2018, Habitat International
Citation Excerpt :
Street vendors generally obey requirements, but may ignore them if enforcement is relaxed. In addition, street vendors have even developed cooperative associations to adjust to policy changes (Lindell & Appelblad, 2009). Vendors' tactics can be understood as a reflection of agency.
Generally found in the old city, “urban crack” refers to a narrow area that is hidden behind a prosperous area and was once flourished but no longer full of energy. Street vendors often regard “urban crack” areas as their main working places because they are from lower socioeconomic groups. However, these vendors occupy cities' marginal spaces during unconventional times, which is a strategy of agency. Choosing the Longfu Temple morning market, a street market in old Beijing city as the study area, this study focused on how the vendors successfully conducted their business in the morning market, which is a type of “urban crack”. Inspired by Cresswell's framework (2010) of the six facets of mobility, the paper constructed a framework for agency to explain street vendors' activities, which includes the following six aspects: motive force, route, speed, rhythm, experience, and friction. Relying on the perspective of time and space, this study revealed that disadvantaged groups represented by morning market vendors are flexible and vigorous. By incorporating agency, these vendors' tactics consider time and space in order to support their way of life. Focusing on street vendors is not a unique case to develop the concept of “urban crack”, this study makes an original contribution to provide a research reference for other countries that are faced with similar social realities.
Presidential intervention and the changing 'politics of survival' in Kampala's informal economy
2012, Cities
Citation Excerpt :
There is a strong consensus in Kampala that the management of marketplaces is one of the most enduring, intractable challenges in the city.5 Understanding the complex political economy of petty trade in Kampala requires attention to some of the issues highlighted above; namely the increasing involvement of private sector actors in market management (Lindell & Appelblad, 2009) and the populist, personalized politics that has come to dominate the city. From 2006 onwards, a programme of marketplace privatization was initiated by Kampala’s former mayor, in the interests of transforming Kampala’s dilapidated marketplaces into ‘modern’ shopping complexes.
In theory, ‘urban governance’ involves non-state actors and the state working together in formally institutionalized ways to make collective decisions and provide urban services. However, in developing country cities with highly informalized economies, the processes that underpin ‘real’ governance often reflect informal bargaining power much more than formal institutional frameworks. This paper uses the case of Uganda’s capital Kampala to explore how political configurations subvert structures of city governance, with particular attention to the increasing engagement between President Museveni and particular groups of informal workers. We present empirical research on market vendors and motorcycle taxi (boda–boda) drivers showing how this engagement benefits both the informal groups and the president. Increased political competition has created an environment where informal groups seeking to protect their livelihoods can tactically leverage a presidential intervention in their favour, helping them evade the policies and regulations of the City Council. Meanwhile, the president has used these interventions to build support in a city that was largely lost to the opposition. These processes have progressively undermined already weak formal institutions for urban governance.
Workplace sexual harassment as a feature of precarious work in Uganda's agro-processing factories: “Mince your words and watch yourself”
2023, Development Policy Review
Of Market Vendors and Waste Collectors: Labour, Informality, and Aesthetics in the Era of World-Class City Making
2023, Antipode
Politics and the urban frontier: Transformation and divergence in late urbanizing East Africa
2022, Politics and the Urban Frontier: Transformation and Divergence in Late Urbanizing East Africa

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Disabling governance: Privatisation of city markets and implications for vendors’ associations in Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Section snippets

Changing models of urban governance

Informalisation, political environment and associational initiatives

The privatisation reform

Parkyard Market

Implications of privatisation for representation

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Introduction: From anti-apartheid to post-apartheid social movements

Upstarts or bearers of tradition? The anti-privatization forum of Gauteng

Partnerships and urban governance

International Social Science Journal

Restoring the value of cooperatives in Uganda

The multiple sites of urban governance: insights from an African city

Urban Studies

Confronting critical disjunctures in the governance of cities