Masaka municipal council has banned children and students from conducting Extra-curricular activities at the children’s park to pave way for the relocation of vendors to the park.

The disputed Children’s park is located opposite Masaka secondary school in Kature Buteyo division until last week over five schools were using Masaka Children’s Park for co-curricular activities, recreation and other public events.

The schools include among others Masaka secondary school, Step-up nursery schools, Masaka primary schools and Lions nursery schools.

Last week Masaka municipal council fenced off the children’s park and deployed law enforcement officers to prevent members of the public from accessing it. Johnson Baryantuma Masaka’s town clerk says they fenced off the park to pave way for the construction of toilets and stoles that will be used by the vendors who will be relocated for Masaka central market.

Baryantuma urges that vendors are being relocated to pave way for the development of Masaka central market next month.

Leopard Ontoyi Head Teacher Masaka primary schools says his pupils have nowhere to conduct physical education classes since they have been banned from the park.

Ontoyi explained it that his school had set up a temporary play ground at the park because they lack enough land to make their own field. Ontoyi questions the logic behind the decision by Masaka municipality to misappropriate an open space gazette as a park.

A 12 year old Brenda Nanyonga says she feels sad because she can no longer play during break time due to lack of space.

Nanyonga says the only alternative space is far away at Hill road primary. Abdul Katerega and Mariam Nakizito a primary seven pupil of Masaka primary says they are unable to have physical education decision due to lack of space.

Katerega says they can’t use Hill road public school play ground because it is always crowed but Godfrey Kayemba Masaka mayor says the park was only relocated to the vendors for temporary period because government was threatening to cancel the 2.5 billion shillings offer to redevelop the market.

He instead caucus the owners of the schools of opening illegally without gazated play ground.

Last year Masaka municipality spent 14 million shillings to clear space near the main taxi park to relocate the vendors but they refused to compile.

Mugisa Isaac Mathia