Tororo Municipal Council authorities have ordered vendors to vacate the streets in a bid to keep the town clean and organised.
The authorities who have embarked on a sensitisation drive in the town want vendors to voluntarily vacate the streets within two weeks.
The municipal council officials are further encouraging vendors operating on the streets to get space in the newly constructed Tororo Central Market commissioned in 2020 by President Yoweri Museveni.
Tororo Municipal Council mayor, Kennedy Orono Nyapidi, said they have arrangements to have all vendors go into the new market.
“It is not sustainable to operate on the streets when there is enough space in the market. We have enough space that can accommodate all the vendors. We only need to organise them and where need arises, we may use force,” Orono said.
He made the remarks days ago during the launch of the garbage truck that was recently donated by the government under the Market Agricultural Trade and Infrastructure Improvement Programme [MATIIP].
“As the municipal council we are also moving towards coming up with an ordinance restricting street vending. We have started with sensitizing vendors to prepare their minds before swinging into an operation with the help of an enforcement team,” he said.
According to the deputy town clerk Irene Okuna, the vendors are disorganising the town, destroying greenery and obstructing traffic in the central business district.
“Although some vendors are willing to leave the streets, many of them are insisting that Tororo municipal council authorities should only guide them on where to operate on the streets but not dictating,” Okuna said.
Kasmir Mwina, a street vendor, however, insists that all the vendors cannot leave the street.
“We don’t have where to operate from and even the new market they are talking about is full. We are on the street to earn a living and sustain our families,” he said.
He added that the designs of the market stalls are not favourable to the business.
“The rental fees for market stalls and lock-ups in the market are not friendly to smallholder businesses like us,” he said.
However, the LC3 chairperson of Western division, Aljamal Mohamed Munyadi, says Tororo Municipal Council should just organise vendors to improve their operation within the town other than chasing them away from the streets.
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