Arua City vendors protest demolition of makeshift stalls

Angry vendors operating on Onzivu Street in Arua city on Tuesday stormed the Central Division offices demanding to know why law enforcement officers dismantled their makeshift stalls.

The over 100 vendors led by their leader, Mr Hassan Iman, wanted to know why they were not given prior notice that they would be evicted from the street and why they are not being offered alternatives.

“I was called at about 4am that our stalls were being dismantled and when I arrived at 6am, they were about to finish their work. We want to know why they had to work at night and why they did not give us an alternative place to work from,” he said.

He said they need each other in the city and authorities should have given them a period of time to relocate without losing properties.

But the Town Clerk, Mr Isaac Wanje, advised the vendors to move either to Arua central market or the social centre.

“We shared with Hassan who is their chairperson last week and we agreed that they should move to the social centre because that is the place gazetted for them, but they did not heed our advice and that is why we decided to clear the place last night,” he said.

Mr Wanje advised all those operating on the streets to prepare to leave them as the operation to evict them has already been launched.

Mr Rashid Oshino, the councillor representing Bazar ward and secretary for security Arua central division expressed disappointment over the manner in which the operation was conducted.

“I thought first of all, as being the elected area leader, if such a thing happens, I am supposed to be in the know, it would have been prudent if sensitization was done and alternative places were given to the vendors before enforcement,” he said.

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