Hundreds of suppliers to the now-closed Uchumi Supermarket have petitioned the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) to help them recover millions of shillings owed by the retail chain.
According to a source, the suppliers, who have already held a meeting with KACITA boss Evariste Kayondo, will meet again on Tuesday next week to sort out the operational modalities with traders’ lobby group.
By press time is was not possible to get comment from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, but in an earlier newspaper article the Executive Director of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) Ms olive Kigongo indicated her organization would liaise with the Kenyan authorities to try and solve the impasse caused by Uchumi’s closure.
Meanwhile, more than 150 workers of the retail chain lost their jobs last week when the supermarket closed all its branches in Uganda, but reports indicate the former staff are yet to be paid all their dues.
Uchumi, a Kenyan-based retail chain operator opened up shop in Uganda in the mid 2000s and went on to open several branches, the most prominent being Uchumi Garden City, frequented by the city’s upper and middle class.
Media reports quoted Uchumi Chief Executive Officer Julius Kipngetich  saying that the retail chain business in Uganda and Dar es Salaam have been consuming 25% of the chain’s operating costs, while accounting for a paltry 4.5% of the income.
