“Safety is not an option; it is a necessity.” — ICAO, International Civil Aviation Organization.
That principle is now forcing open doors at Jinja City Hall after the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority issued a directive to relocate the famous Ambercourt Farmers Market.
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has written to Jinja City authorities demanding the urgent relocation of the market, saying the land is critical for the completion of safety works at Jinja Aerodrome.
In a letter dated 30 June 2026 and referenced UCAA/EIA/3258 addressed to the Jinja Town Clerk Godfrey B. Kisekka and signed by Al Hajji Eng. Sooma Ayub, the Director Airports and Aviation Security, UCAA said the market sits on land that must be levelled as part of the upgrade of the runway, taxiway and apron.
“As you are aware, H.E the President directed that all land belonging to MDAs neighboring Jinja Airport be given to UCAA. The land currently serving as Ambercourt Farmers Market is critical for completion and full operationalization of the upgrade of the runway, taxiway and apron at Jinja Aerodrome,” the letter reads.
UCAA says the upgraded aerodrome is expected to attract more traffic and accommodate more advanced and sophisticated aircraft. To achieve that, the Authority must carry out civil works and fence the entire facility.
The Authority warned that leaving the market in place poses a direct safety threat. “If this is not handled urgently, it poses serious safety hazards as it attracts birds, wildlife and domestic animals due to the waste generated,” Eng. Sooma stated.
He said the continued operation of the market contravenes Regulation 272(4) and (5) of the Civil Aviation (Aerodromes) Regulations, 2022. Those regulations place a duty on aerodrome operators to manage wildlife hazards and to ensure that activities in the vicinity of an aerodrome, including markets and waste disposal sites, do not attract birds or animals that can endanger aircraft. UCAA cautioned that this non-conformity will affect the licensing and operations of the aerodrome.
The letter further requests that the relocation be enforced within a period of three months to allow UCAA to carry out civil works and erect a perimeter fence in line with the Civil Aviation (Security) Regulations, 2022. Those security regulations require aerodromes to be enclosed, with controlled access and free of hazards in order to meet certification standards.
The directive is anchored on a presidential directive for all MDA land neighboring Jinja Airport to be handed to UCAA. To enforce compliance, copies of the letter have been sent to the Director General of UCAA, the Jinja Resident City Commissioner, the Jinja District Police Commander, and the Canton Commander at UPDF Gaddafi Barracks.
The UCAA position is also supported by international aviation standards. Under ICAO Annex 14 on Aerodromes, member states are required to assess and manage wildlife hazards and to prevent the establishment of markets, dumpsites and other attractants near runways and flight paths.
ICAO Annex 17 on Aviation Security further requires that aerodromes be secured with proper fencing and access control. The ICAO Airport Services Manual on Wildlife Control specifically identifies food markets near aerodromes as high-risk attractants that must be removed to prevent bird strikes, which remain one of the leading causes of aviation accidents worldwide.
Closed-Door Boss Now Forced To Consult.
Reports from Town Hall indicate that Town Clerk Godfrey B. Kisseka, who is known for working behind closed doors and holding most of his meetings from his office, has now been compelled to step out.
Kisseka has started holding one-on-one consultative meetings with heads of departments to find a way forward. Officials say this matter demands joint input from engineering, legal, commercial, environment, public health and community development and market departments so that no mistake is made.
With the directive traced to the President, any delay or dragging of feet would be seen as undermining the fountain of honor at a time when the President has declared 2026-2031 as “Kisanja No Sleep” or “Hakuna Kulala.” No civil servant would want to be flagged over it.
How The Market Started and Why Relocation Will Be Difficult.
Ambercourt Farmers Market is one of Jinja’s oldest informal trading hubs, and relocating it will not be a simple administrative exercise.
According to the long serving Deputy Town Clerk Peter Mawerere who is also son of the soil, the market started about 30 years ago when wives of soldiers began selling produce along the roadside.
Over time they migrated to the current open space, which at the time was free and undeveloped. What began as roadside vending gradually grew into a full market that today supports hundreds of households.
Today it is home to hundreds of vendors, the majority women including wives of soldiers and policemen, single mothers and housewives. Traders come from as far as Mbale, Iganga, Kaliro and Mukono, Kampala and western Uganda.
Even in its current location, the market has struggled with basic infrastructure. Sanitation remains a major challenge with no adequate modern toilets, and the open layout has made it prone to fire outbreaks that have occasionally left vendors counting losses.
City officials say these same challenges are likely to follow the vendors to any new site. Among the areas being considered are Namulesa along the Jinja-Kamuli road in the former Mafubira Sub- County and Budondo in the former Budondo Sub- County. Both locations have available land but face serious drawbacks. They lack proper sanitary facilities and are farther from the city center.
That distance will hit hard the majority of vendors who carry their tender-age children to school in the morning and return to the market in the evening before heading home. A more distant location would increase transport costs and cut into the little time they have to balance business and family responsibilities.
Another option being floated is to decongest Ambercourt vendors into the annoyingly dusty and cob-web- infested Jinja Central Market, a facility into which government injected 28 billion shillings but which remains largely underutilized, especially on the upper floors.
Vendors have previously resisted moving there, arguing that customers prefer ground-level stalls and are reluctant to climb up.
UCAA maintains that without the relocation, Jinja Aerodrome cannot meet the safety and security standards required for licensing. That in turn would delay the planned upgrade and the anticipated benefits of increased connectivity, trade and investment for the Busoga sub-region.
“With upgraded infrastructure, the airport is expected to attract more traffic and use of more advanced aircraft,” the Authority noted, linking the move to broader development goals for Jinja.
City leaders now face the delicate task of balancing aviation safety obligations with the need to protect the livelihoods of the women who built Ambercourt from roadside tables into a community institution, as the three-month countdown begins.
What’s In A Name: The Story Of Ambercourt.
The name Ambercourt comes from the Ambercourt Estate, a former colonial and post-independence residential area for senior government workers near Jinja Aerodrome.
“Court” was a British term for a planned housing area while “Amber” is believed to refer to the reddish-brown soil in the area.
Today, Ambercourt carried 30 years of brand recognition across Busoga and beyond as a hub of affordable fresh produce, something city officials now say will be hard to replicate now that vendors are moving away.
