Africa-Press – Uganda. Tororo Municipal officials have been accused of corruption in the ongoing exercise to allocate stalls and lock-ups in the newly constructed market.
The vendors also allege that several staff members and councillors have been allocated lock-ups in the multi-billion modern market contrary to the guidelines.
The Shs27.7 billion market was commissioned in November by President Museveni and has the capacity to accommodate more than 1,500 vendors.
It was constructed by government under the Market and Agricultural Trade Improvement Programme (MATIP-2) with funding from African Development Bank (ADB).
The market has stalls, lockups, stores, banking institutions, a police post, daycare centre, solar lighting system, fire extinguishers, fire outbreak detectors, cold storage facilities, warehouse, and water reservoir, among others.
Mr Gerald Omaset Papa, a vendor, told Daily Monitor at the weekend that some of the genuine vendors have been denied space due to lack of money to bribe the municipal officials.
“It is unfair for the council to deny me and others space yet we are genuine vendors. We were relocated from this market, with a promise that after reconstruction, we would be prioritised,” Mr Omaset said.
Mr Omaset said the criteria being used by the council leaders is designed to kick out genuine vendors from the market.
Mr Paul Okello, another vendor, said they were surprised to learn that some of the councillors and municipal staff members are on the list of beneficiaries.
“President Museveni should come to our rescue before we commit suicide. We are tired of government officials,” Mr Okello said.
The Tororo resident district commissioner, Mr Nickson Owole, said his office had received complaints from a section of vendors, who are dissatisfied with the ongoing process of allocating stalls and lock-ups.
“I got information that they are planning to hold a demonstration to that effect if their grievances are not addressed,” Mr Owole said.
Mr Owole has since halted the ongoing allocation exercise to pave the way for investigations.
“Police should commence investigations into alleged corruption tendencies because that is interfering with the ongoing allocation of space at the new facility,” he said.
He added that the decision was taken in order to protect the multi-billion investment from going to waste.
Mr Owole also directed the district police commander to institute a general inquiry file and summon all those implicated officials in the ongoing allocation process.
The mayor of Tororo municipality, Mr Kennedy Orono Nyapidi, welcomed the move saying his office had received many complaints from the vendors.
“When some of us talk, they say we are witch hunting them but now let us use the independent body to investigate so that we can find out the truths,” he said.
The town clerk, Mr Paul Omoko, however, dismissed claims that stalls and lock-ups had been allocated to the staff and councillors.
He said some of the councillors and staff, who benefited were already in the business and benefited like any other vendor.
“It is too early for me to conclude that the exercise has been hijacked by fraudsters but what I know is that the allocation was done in line with the guidelines from the ministry of local government,” he said.
Mr Omoko added that they have also received allegations of bribery but nobody has come out with evidence to the effect.
“In order to ensure transparency, the council made sure that vendors have a big representation in the allocation committee to enable their interests to be taken care of,” he said.
The composition of the allocation committee was as follows; 19 vendors, three representatives from municipal Council and two members representing the ministry of local government.
The municipal commercial officer Ms Annette Amusolo, called for calm, saying exercise is still on going.
“As municipal council, we are proposing to gazette another place that will accommodate the vendors, who will fail to get space at the new facility,” she said.
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