Respect our constitution: Gulu market vendors reject open terms for leaders

GULU-Ordinary members of Gulu Main Market Vendors Association have rejected a proposal seeking to remove term limits for the executive leaders, saying their constitution must be respected to allow other members serve in the top positions.

The market vendors rejected the proposal during the association’s annual general meeting held at the Gulu Main Market premises [AGM] on January 10, 2023.

The executive positions in the association include the chairperson, general secretary and treasurer. According to the association’s constitution established in 2016, the top officials are supposed to serve for two terms and leave space for others.

During a delegates meeting held in July 2022, the current executive led by the chairperson, Patrick Omaya, proposed the constitutional review, arguing that article 8[1] be amended to allow executive members serve beyond the two terms that the association’s constitution provides.

According to sub-section 2, article 8 of the association’s constitution, the executive leaders are eligible to serve for a period of two terms, each term spanning three years.

According to the market vendors’ constitution, elections of executive committee members takes place during the AGM.

It also requires members of the executive committee to resign immediately after the expiry of their last term of office before new elections are conducted.

It is also proposed that for one to contest for the executive positions, one must possess e an O`Level certificate as a minimum academic requirement and one must have passed through primary elections at the sector levels or be a sector delegate to the executive committee.

Paska Aryemo, a vendor at the market, says amending the association’s constitution would mean denying other people the opportunity to exercise their leadership abilities.

Aryemo, who wants the association’s constitution to remain intact, said that what the current leadership wants to do is to suffocate democratic spaces in the leadership of the vendors association.

“If we go ahead and amend the constitution, we are not going to give opportunity to other vendors who have the potential to lead. We need not to suffocate the democratic spaces in the leadership of the main market,” Aryemo said.

David Nyeko, another vendor at the market said that the current leadership has issues to do with accountability, a reason, he said they want to extend their stay in office. “They can manipulate the election process to their favour,” he said.

According to Nyeko, it is the same market vendors who endorsed their constitution because they believed it was and is still good. “We should stop playing around with our constitution, especially when we haven’t even exhausted it well.”

Jane Frances Amongin Okili, the Gulu resident city commission who officiated at the review of the constitution said the most important aspect is to allow democracy prevail, adding that where there is democracy, peace prevails.

Article 4 of the vendors’ association constitution states that vendors have the right to amend the constitution provided two-thirds of the members are in agreement with the amendment.

During the association’s delegates meeting held on July 13, 2022, 72 out of 90 delegates were in support of amending the constitution to open up term limits for the executive members. However, their decision cannot be implemented unless the ordinary members of the association endorse the proposed constitutional amendment during the AGM.

https://thecooperator.news/gulu-market-vendors-locked-in-bitter-fight/

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