Soroti City Market’s absentee landlords are facing the possibility of losing their lockups if local authorities enforce a directive issued by Minister of Local Government Raphael Magyezi.
According to Magyezi, instructing Soroti city enforcement authorities to withdraw lockups from absentee vendors will help resolve the escalating disputes in the new government-owned market.
The market was built to accommodate low-income earners and vendors who previously operated in the old market, which was demolished in March 2018. However, concerns persist regarding absentee vendors renting out lockup spaces at inflated rates.
Magyezi, currently on a follow-up visit to Soroti as part of the ongoing developments of the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Project-I (MATIP-II), emphasizes that stalls and lockups should belong to vendors who are tenants of the Government, not to market landlords.
Meanwhile, Daniel Christopher Kaweesi, the city clerk, expresses frustration with street vendors, highlighting ongoing challenges in market management.
During discussions with the minister, Peter Pex Paak, the RCC Soroti, reveals instances of double allocation of lockups in the main market, adding complexity to the situation.
The market, constructed at a cost of 24 billion shillings under the second phase of the Market and Agricultural Trade Improvement Program – MATIP2, was commissioned in November 2020 by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Funding for the construction was part of a $94 million (approximately 316 billion shillings) loan secured by the Government of Uganda from the African Development Bank in 2016 for the construction of eleven modern markets across the country.
Currently, the market accommodates 2,000 vendors, offering 520 lockups, 249 pitches, and 393 stalls. The city generates 181 million shillings annually from the market facility.
