Most vendors in Lira City have returned to the streets barely a month after they were evicted.
In March 2022, authorities at Lira City Council issued an eviction notice for all vendors to leave the streets and stop selling various items on verandahs and along walk ways. The vendors were directed to occupy gazetted markets scattered in the two divisions of the City.
However, most of them especially those selling fruits such as avocado, tomatoes and bananas and those selling foodstuffs like fresh cassava and vegetables have since returned to the streets. They are currently operating along Noteber and Oyam road, all in the center of Lira City.
Some of the vendors expressed discomfort on the sanitation and location of the gazetted markets saying the authorities should instead allocate to them empty stalls inside the main Market from where they can conduct their businesses.
Florence Adyero, who sells cassava along Note-Ber Street says accessing stalls in the junior quarter’s market is very hard because the entire market is constructed with only the main entrance and exit without access points in between the stalls.
Chris Odongo ,the chairperson Lira City Street vendor’s association says most of the vendors will resort to criminal activities especially when they fail to make money from the gazetted markets.
But Sam Atul, the Lira City Mayor in a telephone interview says operating any kind of business along the street is now a criminal offense punishable by law.
Translation:“We agreed that people should leave the walk way and whoever is still conducting business along the walk way is doing committing an offense because that is what we agreed on before they left the streets. As for changes which they want to have on the structures of the market, it will be a process because we found the markets constructed like that so changing it will take time.”Meanwhile, Morris Chris Ongom, the President Lira City Development Forum advised that the city authority to engage vendors in discussions on how they can solve the problem through dialogue instead of forcing them out.
“I know there are stubborn vendors, there are those who listen and those who do not want to listen. But it is good to keep talking to them,” added Ongom.
