LIRA – Authorities of Lira City have banned market vendors, produce dealers and hawkers from transacting any business on pavements, walkways and streets.
According to the Town Clerk of Lira City, Edward Kiwanuka Gwava, the directive took effect from March 22, 2022 and any vender found defying the directive will have no other alternative but to face the long arm of the law.
The directive also banned the display of the merchandise in front of shops or business premises. This means all merchandise will be displayed in and sold inside the shops.
The decision followed numerous complaints from the public and pedestrians who have got involved in accidents since the walkway cannot be accessed according to Kiwanuka.
“They have been turned into areas where merchandise is displayed and sold by hawkers and shop owners,” Kiwanuka directed in his letter dated March 15, 2022.
Francis Ogema Awany, a member of Uganda National Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Lira branch, welcomed the development saying, Lira has become a city and there is need for sanity and law enforcement.
The city has a few areas designated for vendors such as Teobaya, Cukatat and Lira mainly constructed by the Ministry of Local Government at the cost of Shs28b. African Development Bank (ADB) funded the project under the Market and Agriculture Trade Improvement Program (MATIP) Phase I.
The market has 1,874 stalls and 500 lockups but several of them are still unoccupied due to its locations, lack of customers and the renting charge levied by Lira City.
There has been inconsistency and challenges in clearing both water and electricity bills prompting disconnection as a result of accumulated bills.
The market was commissioned by President Yoweri Museveni in 2015 and according to the ministry, 3,500 vendors were targeted to occupy the market.
The plan was that it would be a good source of revenue with a projection of Shs 97millions monthly.
A hawker, Jimmy Opio said that occupying a space in the main market is like you want the business to collapse and you return to the village.
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