By Sekaggya Seka Moses
Mubende, Uganda – Two officials from the Mubende Municipality have been charged with gross extortion of vendors from Mubende Central Market, following investigations into allegations of corruption.
Katumba Francis Xavier, former Chairperson of the Mubende Central Market Allocation Committee and Assistant Town Clerk for the Western Division, and Hakim Sentongo, a committee member and Health Officer, were arraigned before the Mubende Chief Magistrate’s Court today.
The duo has been remanded until February 3, 2026, pending further court proceedings.
According to investigations, the officials allegedly extorted money from vendors, selling lockups and stalls at inflated prices ranging from UGX 100,000 to over UGX 5,000,000, depending on the business enterprise and location.
One vendor, Moses Bisobolwa, reportedly paid UGX 2,000,000 to Katumba Francis Xavier to secure a lockup, with Hakim Sentongo present.
Preliminary findings indicate that over 51 vendors may have paid money to the officials, with most payments made in cash, leaving limited documentary evidence.
Investigations are ongoing into allegations of irregular allocation of stalls to public servants, disadvantaging low-income vendors.
The case followed a public outcry and intervention by the Rt. Hon. Deputy Speaker of Parliament and the Hon. Minister of Local Government Raphael Magyezi.
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