Owino Market in Uganda

Owino market in Uganda is located on the southern end of Kampala city. In the 1970s, a mere swamp was in this place then they later built the market which is rated the biggest market in Uganda both in size and business ratings. In 1972, the market was fixed by the Kampala City Council (KCC) as a municipal market to cater for the ever-growing vendors who could not be accommodated in the Nakasero Market. Nakasero Market was the only market in the city at that time.

With time, the Owino Market has managed to enlarge with market vendors constructing makeshift stalls which makes it larger than it was built. When the market was constructed in 1972, they were only 250 stalls, but now the market has over 5,000 stalls including fresh and dry foodstuff, butcheries, and a variety of merchandise stalls, clothes, herbs, and many others. According to research, over 20,000 people make a living in the market either as vendors or porters and the government earns over 7 million shillings ($7,000) in taxes per month from the market.  

Many people flock to the market pretending to be customers and they create a big crowd to enable cover for criminals like pick-pocketing, swindlers, drug abusers, etc. the market has poor sanitation because of the big crowd. The garbage heaps are commonly seen all over the place and mostly in the water canals which makes water drain all over the place. There is only one toilet block, one side is for men and the other side for women which is paid per visit.

The stalls in Owino market in Uganda are very close to each other that you might fail to tell where the other person’s stall ends. Meals are also prepared under similar conditions in a small and open place and more so the environment can be muddy/dirty which can not be healthy to have food served to you from there.

Owino Market in Uganda

The stalls were finished with a bench and a small table on which the utensils are kept. Customers were not usually expected to eat from the stalls but from their duty stations since the catering activity normally served the vendors in the market, owino market in Uganda.

What is the main Activity done in Owino Market?

Shopping

When you hear about the Owino market in Uganda, the first thing that comes to your mind is shopping. This market has all sorts of things that you might be needed but it’s likely to also have burglars, in most cases buying clothes, foodstuffs, and shoes it might be safe to avoid giving you duplicate things. But when it comes to electricals like TV, percolator and many others it’s not safe because you might buy it and fails to work as you want it and you end up spending more money compared to if you had bought it in a more credible place. There are good electricals but it’s not a good place to trust when it comes to that. Therefore Owino Market is the best place to go in for second-hand/used items, owino market in Uganda.

This market can be a stop over for Uganda Safaris guests who want to do some cheap window shopping for a few souvenirs and other items. You can also check on Where to buy Souvenirs on a Uganda Safari if interested in more items that cant be found around this market. For a memorable safari experience, these 8 Top Safari Tour Attractions in Uganda will offer you the best of the best.