Gulu vendors reject new market

Some of the second-hand clothes vendors at Kakanyero market on Sunday in Gulu Town. PHOTO BY JOHN OKOT

GULU- More than 400 vendors in Kakanyero temporary market have refused to relocate the new market, arguing that the place they have been allocated is ‘poorly ventilated and not suitable for their business.

They are part of 1,600 vendors who were relocated in 2011 to the two temporary sites of Kaunda and Kakanyero sites to pave way for the construction of the multi-billion Gulu Main Market.

Early this month, vendors started occupying the new market after it was completed mid this year.

The chairperson of the vendors at Kakanyero temporary site, Mr John Odur, said the space allocated to them is too small to accommodate them and the ventilation is poor.

“The space is too small for us to fit in, we are 400, and most of us are dealers in secondhand clothes. We need bigger space.

According to our analysis, the space can only accommodate 150 vendors,” he said.
He said they wrote to the office of town clerk, but no response has been given.

However, the Town Clerk Mr Francis Barabanawe, accused some vendors of frustrating relocation arguing that there are those want to get space in the new main market yet they did not register.

“They will be evicted in case they fail to relocate to the new market. We have given them two weeks to get there. We cannot have Shs28b market unoccupied because vendors have refused to operate in it,” he said.

Gulu Main Market was constructed with funding from the African Development Bank at a tune of Shs28b and is to can accommodate 4,400 vendors.