Development, division and discontent in informal markets: insights from Kampala

ABSTRACT

This article explores the recent history of Owino Market in Kampala, Uganda, to analyse the constraints to agency that exist in the informal economy. Detailing conflicts over market management and development in Owino, it argues that agency in the informal economy must be understood in reference to the economic divisions that exist within the informal sphere and the political divisions that characterise urban governance. The interaction of the two, as Owino illustrates, can severely circumscribe the ability of informal vendors to act in ways that allow them to participate in urban development. In this case, ongoing efforts by the ruling party and executive to monopolise power in Kampala solidified and politicised internal market hierarchies defined by vending location and ownership and employment status, leading to conflicts that threatened the majority of vendors’ livelihoods and the viability of their economic activities. For many in the informal economy, these structural constraints to agency may be impossible to overcome.

RÉSUMÉ

Cet article explore l’histoire récente du marché Owino à Kampala, en Ouganda, afin d’analyser les contraintes au pouvoir d’action autonome qui existent dans l’économie informelle. En détaillant les conflits relatifs à la gestion et au développement du marché d’Owino, l’article soutient que la notion de pouvoir d’action autonome dans l’économie informelle doit être comprise en référence aux divisions économiques qui existent dans la sphère informelle et aux divisions politiques qui caractérisent la gouvernance urbaine. L’interaction des deux, comme l’illustre Owino, peut considérablement limiter la capacité des vendeurs informels à agir de manière à leur permettre de participer au développement urbain. Dans le cas considéré, les efforts continus du parti au pouvoir et de l’exécutif pour monopoliser le pouvoir à Kampala ont solidifié et politisé les hiérarchies internes au marché, définies par l’emplacement des étals des vendeurs et leurs différents statuts d’emploi et de propriété, ce qui a conduit à des conflits qui ont menacé les moyens de subsistance de la majorité des vendeurs et la viabilité de leurs activités économiques. Pour de nombreux acteurs de l’économie informelle, ces contraintes structurelles au pouvoir d’action autonome pourraient être impossibles à surmonter.

KEYWORDS:

• Market development
• informal economy
• agency
• Kampala
• Uganda

MOTS-CLÉS:

• Développement des marchés
• économie informelle
• agence
• Kampala
• Ouganda

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Devon Curtis, Adam Branch and Matteo Rizzo for their insightful comments on the doctoral research that this article emerged from, the research assistants involved, and two anonymous reviewers at ROAPE for their useful feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Owino Market was officially renamed St. Balikuddembe Market in October 2001 (Namutebi 2001). It is still commonly referred to by its original name, however, so the former is used here.

2 For an overview of democratisation and decentralisation under the NRM, see Carbone (2008), Lambright (2011) and Rubongoya (2007).

3 The Local Governments Act devolves the administration of markets to city divisions. See Second Schedule, Part Five, Section (B). The 2005 Constitution (Amendment) Act placed Kampala outside the national local government structure: see ‘Constitution of the Republic of Uganda: Amended by the Constitution (Amendment) Act’, Chapter Two, Article 5, Section 2 (RoU 2005).

4 Goodfellow similarly claims SLOA has a maximum of 50 shareholders. See Goodfellow (2012, 169).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Smuts Memorial Fund, managed by the University of Cambridge in memory of Jan Smuts; and by the UAC of Nigeria Travel Fund.

Notes on contributors

Graeme Young

Graeme Young is a research associate at the Centre for Sustainable, Healthy and Learning Cities and Neighbourhoods at the University of Glasgow. His work has been published in International Peacekeeping, Journal of Eastern African Studies, The International Journal of Human Rights, Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, Urban Forum, and Third World Quarterly. He holds a PhD in politics and international studies from the University of Cambridge.