Fire at Owino market in Kampala

Owino market fire: Women using sewing machines at Owino market in Kampala, Uganda.

The market has more than 500,000 vendors, 70% of whom are women. Photograph: Laurence Topham/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: Traders rest on their stall at Owino market in Kampala, Uganda.

The majority of traders are independent, small business owners using bank loans and micro-finance loans to invest in their stock. Photograph: Laurence Topham/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: Men sell bunches of bananas at Owino market in Kampala, Uganda.

A decade ago, overspill from the main Owino market led to traders setting up a secondary market in the car park of the neighbouring Nakivubo stadium. Photograph: Laurence Topham/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: Crowded stalls in Owino market, the largest market in Kampala, Uganda

Officially called Nakivubo Parkyard Market, it soon become indistinguishable from the main Owino site. Photograph: Annie Kelly/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: Sacks of spices in Sacks of spices in Owino market, in Kampala, Uganda.

Like the rest of Owino, Naviubo Parkyard was a warren of stalls selling everything from second-hand clothes, spices, shoes and umbrellas to food, electronic goods and household appliances. Photograph: Annie Kelly/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: Traders salvage goods in Owino market, in Kampala, Uganda, after a fire.

At 3am on 25 February 2009, a fire, whipped into a raging inferno by strong winds, ripped through Nakivubo Parkyard. Photograph: Walter Astrada/AFP

Owino market fire: Traders try to salvage some of their goods in Owino market, Uganda.

The fire swept through the wooden stalls and destroyed everything in its path. Photograph: Walter Astrada/AFP

Owino market fire: Traders fight with a looter after a fire at Owino market, Kampala, Uganda.

Fire trucks arriving on the scene at nearly 5am struggled to contain the blaze. Firefighters battled with desperate vendors trying to extinguish flames and save their goods from looters. Photograph: Walter Astrada/AFP/Getty Images

Owino market fire: Women sit the remains of stalls after a fire in a market, Kampala, Uganda.

By late morning more than 3,500 stalls had been burned to the ground and more than Uganda shillings (Shs) 50bn of goods had been destroyed. Photograph: Laurence Topham/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: People point at damage in the aftermath of a fire.

Stall owners who have lost everything are claiming that arson was behind the blaze, pointing to holes in the outer walls, which they allege show the marks of petrol burns. Photograph: Laurence Topham/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: A man stands on debris after a fire in the largest market, Kampala, Uganda.

The Ugandan government has pledged Shs 1bn of assistance to some of the thousands of stall owners who have lost everything in the blaze. Photograph: Laurence Topham/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: People sit the remains of stalls after a fire in market, Kampala, Uganda.

Two days after the blaze, stall owners started erecting temporary structures on the smouldering ashes of the market. Even those with nothing to sell are staking claim to a patch of ground where their stall used to stand. Photograph: Laurence Topham/guardian.co.uk

Owino market fire: People cook after a fire in the largest market in Kampala, Uganda.

Godfrey Sematimba has set up a makeshift food station and is already selling fried pancakes and bread. “We have lost everything, but nobody is going to sell our land. We will build this market up again,” he said. Photograph: Laurence Topham/guardian.co.uk