MISRYOUM reports Dodoma City Council has invited traders from the former Rehema Nchimbi market to discuss a lease contract for Umonga.
A fresh round of talks is set to shape how traders will restart business activities at Umonga after a dispute over leasing arrangements.
The Dodoma City Council has asked leaders of traders who previously operated in the former Rehema Nchimbi market to sit down together with the city’s administration to review a draft contract for allocating space in Umonga.. The move is meant to bring an end to the ongoing tension on how business should officially begin in the area.
In a statement shared on May 4, 2026, Denis Gondwe, Head of the Government Communications Unit at the Dodoma City Council, said traders had raised complaints that they were not treated fairly after their original market was closed.. Gondwe explained that after the Rehema Nchimbi market was shut in October last year and served more than 300 traders, the council proposed moving them to other markets.
He said traders rejected that plan and later submitted their grievances to the Office of the District Commissioner, requesting another location.. According to Gondwe, the district commissioner formed a special committee that assessed and visited different areas before recommending that the traders be allocated the plot in Mtaa wa Kitenge, with an area of 8,621 square meters.
This matters because reopening commercial operations affects incomes and stability for many traders, and clarity on contracts often reduces uncertainty on the ground.
Gondwe added that the recommendation was accepted by the Dodoma City Council, and preparations for developing the Kitenge area have already started.. He also noted that when the Prime Minister, Mwigulu Lameck Nchemba, visited the Umonga area, he directed faster implementation and insisted that traders receive clear contracts before business resumes.
Following those instructions, Gondwe said the council invited trader leadership to review the draft leasing contract through a letter dated April 24, 2026, and a meeting was held on April 27, 2026.. He emphasized that the council does not recognize any allocation outside the official process, warning that anyone claiming space in Umonga outside that procedure is acting like they are selling access illegally.
In a related position, Nsubisi Kapula, Head of the Industry, Trade and Investment Department for Dodoma City, said the government remains ready to keep engaging trader leaders to reach a shared agreement.. Kapula added that if consensus is not reached, the administration will intervene to ensure both sides meet and sign official business operation contracts.
At the end of the process, MISRYOUM notes that the key issue is not only where traders will operate, but also whether the arrangements are formal, transparent, and accepted by all parties involved.