Students Frequent Sunday Market for Cheap Clothes

Written by: 
Sheila Atabua

 

The Sunday Market in downtown Kampala has become a favourite place for university students who buy clothes at affordable prices.

The street market, an initiative of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) three years ago, takes place every Sunday when a section of town and roads are closed down for venders to sell their merchandise. The roads and streets affected every Sunday include Luwum Street, Burton Street and Wilson Road as venders sell second-hand clothes, shoes, and bags among other items.

At the Sunday Street Market, one can get female tops ranging from 2000 to 5000 shillings, bags from 5000 to 20,000, shoes from 8000 to 18,000, jeans from 10,000 to 25,000 and sweater, coats and jumpers can range from 9000 to 20,000 shillings. This depends on the seller of the items and how good one can bargain.

In upscale Kampala, one could spend between 10,000 and 50,000 more on some of the items.

The market has become a go-to shopping place for students because it is pocket friendly and can fit into their living budget.

Sharon Nsubuga, a social sciences student explains: "I can spend fifty thousand shillings at the Sunday Market and get over twenty tops, a pair of shoes and two pairs of jeans and still have a balance of three thousand shillings. The market is so good because I get all the outfits I need for a month at least."

Betty Namagembe, a vender says the market helps her to get rid of excess stock of her merchandise. "I can sell more clothes in one day than I do in a week on my normal business day. This is the best way to get rid of all the old stock and get new one,” she told Journalism@Mak.

Namagembe says she makes up to five hundred thousand shillings every Sunday from selling clothes.

The Sunday market rivals other cheap city markets such as Nakawa. While the Friday market at Nakawa may be equally pocket friendly, the traffic congestion in the city makes the Sunday market a better option. In Nakawa, tops go for about 3000 to 6000 shillings.