Arua authorities count loses as vendors take over streets

On the streets. Vendors display their merchandise on a street in Arua Municipality recently. The vendors were relocated from Arua Main Market three months ago to a temporary market within the municipality but some of them have instead opted for the streets. PHOTO BY CLEMENT ALUMA.

What you need to know:

  • The mess emanated from the relocation of the market vendors to an open space near the Office of the Prime Minister and on Ediofe Road to pave way for construction of a modern market.
  • The construct of the $10m (about Shs36b) Arua main market, whose plans were approved, has lagged behind due to wrangles over ownership of the land where the market is to be constructed since 2009.

More than 5,000 market vendors in Arua Municipality have established illegal markets at the roadsides, making the entire municipality look messy.
The walkways, a preserve of pedestrians, are currently occupied by the market vendors, making it difficult to move around the town.
When Daily Monitor visited the area, the vendors had constructed makeshift shelters on several streets in the town.

The municipality leaders are now complaining that revenue collection has become complex since the traders are operating from undesignated places.
According to Ms Zubeda Shida, the Arua Municipality deputy town clerk, the municipality has only collected Shs33m in local revenue in the last three months the vendors were relocated from the market. She said the municipality has been collecting an average of Shs150m per month in local revenue.

The mess emanated from the relocation of the market vendors to an open space near the Office of the Prime Minister and on Ediofe Road to pave way for construction of a modern market.
Three months since their relocation, the work has not started and the market vendors have been forced to squeeze in the small temporary market constructed by the municipality.
Attempts by the council enforcement officers to have all the vendors inside the temporary market have failed.
The council had outlawed roadside vending.
But some of the vendors rejected the two places and instead erected illegal markets on the roadside.

One of the vendors, Ms Sauda Alioru, said: “This is peak time for business and we must not be frustrated. Let the municipal council act and have the issues resolved so that we have peace.”
Entrance to Red Cross offices, Slumber Land Hotel, Reproductive Health offices and some residential areas have been blocked by the vendors, who offload their merchandise in front of them.
The Arua Hill Division chairperson, Ms Nesmah Ocokoru, warned that they are losing revenue to absconding vendors taking advantage of the situation.

Before the vendors took to the streets, the division used to collect about Shs40 million monthly in local revenue collections. However, the authorities now collect only about Shs20m per month in local revenue.
“Without the local revenue, we will not be able to collect garbage, ensure there is water supply and this is why in the past days, the town is in a mess.”
The Ministry of Lands released Shs68 million for the construction of the temporary market.
The chairperson of the Market Vendors’ Association, Mr Nelson Dada, asked the council to sort out the mess immediately.

About the market

The construct of the $10m (about Shs36b) Arua main market, whose plans were approved, has lagged behind due to wrangles over ownership of the land where the market is to be constructed since 2009. The market is to be constructed under the Market and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project (MATIP-1). The Arua deputy town clerk, Mr Monday Bagonza, explained that they have not commenced construction of the market because they are yet to receive money from the World Bank.
Already Gulu, Jinja and Mbarara markets have been constructed.