-Most Centres Lie Idle, Yet Vendors Struggle To balance childcare and business.
By Malik Fahad Jjingo
Most of the childcare facilities or daycare centres in public markets in Gulu, Lira, Jinja, Lugazi, Kamuli, Iganga, Mayuge, Mbale, and other cities across the country are lying idle.
This has left hundreds of women vendors in these markets struggling to concentrate on their work during market hours and look after their children at the same time.
The government introduced measures to improve women’s working conditions by revamping existing public markets. Through the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Program (MATIP I&II), the government Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Program (MATIP I&II),
Around mid-morning, Gulu central market is lively with busy vendors, mostly women, calling out prices and buyers.
Inside the market, they carefully sort and arrange fresh tomatoes, beans, a colourful variety of spices and fruits across their stalls.
However, there’s something that immediately draws attention. Many women (vendors) work with babies strapped to their backs, while others leave their little ones to wander between stalls and the busy market aisles.
Vendors like Mary Akulo, are struggling to balance work and look after their children at the same time. “We need the services, but we do not have the facilities,” she says.
She adds that children keep wandering in the market, messing up people’s items, which inconveniences them.
The same struggles are observed in other districts. This situation undermines the government’s program to enhance women’s participation in the country’s economic empowerment and early childhood development, as stipulated in the National Development Plan (NDP IV).
A vision once worked
In these MATIP markets, stalls and sanitation facilities were upgraded and childcare facilities established. They were designed with sleeping rooms, indoor play spaces and kitchens, while some, like in Gulu, feature playgrounds within the market premises.
Parents pay a modest daily fee of Sh2,000 for meals and care provided for their children. This was meant to help women have secure and affordable places to leave their children while they concentrate on their businesses during market hours.
With this, mothers could trade more productively and earn more income for better livelihoods.
Lugazi Model Facility, where it works
Lugazi facility is exceptional, being fully operational and currently caring for over 20 children, mainly aged 0-5 years. Two caretakers look after the little ones from morning until evening, offering mothers a chance to focus on their work.
For smooth operation, caretakers explained, parents who cannot afford to pay in cash often contribute food items instead.
According to one mother, she can work without worry because of the childcare facility. “Before, I would waste most of the time running back and forth to check on my baby at home,” she recounted.
According to Bob Mudduse, the Lugazi Central Market Manager, this arrangement simplifies life for parents. “It further encourages others to bring their children to the childcare facility,” he added.
Where Facilities Failed
In Gulu, the childcare centre is currently non-functional, having been repurposed as a one-stop centre for URSB, Tax Registration Expansion Program (TREP) and partner agencies, leaving a significant gap for market vendors.
In Lira, the facility is also vacant, having been leased to a motorcycle company (Simba Automotives) as a store and office.
George Omondi, the Lira Central Market Manager, said they recently reclaimed the facility and are currently looking for the service provider to make it operational.
“It still requires revamping, playing items, and proper management before it can become fully operational,” he said.
The Mbale facility has been functional since 2017, managed by a private provider, Grace Odoi, in partnership with the City Council.
It demonstrates a workable model based on modest fees and community involvement, but still faces challenges of limited space, inadequate city council support, and insufficient infrastructure.
For Jinja, Kamuli, Iganga, and Mayuge, it’s a complete failure as the childcare facilities are also empty.
Gov’t intervenes
Following recent monitoring visits in Northern and Eastern Uganda, the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD) launched a campaign to revive dormant childcare facilities in these markets.
They engaged local leaders, market managers, childcare operators, town clerks, labour officers, Community Development Officers (CDOs) and other stakeholders to identify challenges, share lessons and develop recommendations for strengthening childcare services in MATIP markets.
Commissioner – Peter Jeje, the MATIP National Coordinator at the Ministry of Local Government, ephasised the importance of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in promoting child wellbeing, gender equality and boosting household incomes and the country’s sustainable economic growth.
He noted that childcare facilities are not just for profit-making but a strategic investment in the country’s human capital.
According to Rogers Golooba, the Senior Probation and Welfare Officer at MoGLSD, several parents often resort to unsafe and risky childcare strategies, such as leaving their children at home unattended.
However, Gulu City CDO -Geoffrey Lakwonyero further attributes the stallment to the failure to identify competent service providers to run childcare facilities and the design errors in both MATIP Projects (MATIP I & II).
Statistics, appeal
According to Patience Kaitesi, the Senior Youth Officer at MoGLSD, one in every three children is left at home alone, which can change if parents utilise existing childcare spaces.
She further advised that these facilities should not only look after children but also go the extra mile to provide proper meals, keep them safe, teach them basic skills, and monitor their health.
“If Uganda changed “the beginning of the story” by prioritising early childhood care and development, it would change the future trajectory of its people and the nation,” she stressed.
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