Kisoro Municipality on the Spot as Road Side Fruit Vendors demand own Market

Kisoro Municipality on the Spot as Road Side Fruit Vendors demand own Market

 Road side Vendors in Kisoro Municipality have demanded that the Kisoro Municipal authorities provide a suitable market for them before chasing them from the Kabale-Kisoro highway.

The fruit vendors association is demanding for an independent fruits market.

The developments comes following running battles between the road side fruit vendors and Kisoro municipal enforcement officers for the last two years.

Back in March, 2021, the road side vendors stormed the office of the town clerk Sharifa Nakintu but thanks to security intervention, the fruit vendors were advised to explain their concerns in a written document.

The vendors, in their document requested for a six months grace period in order to have ample time to integrate into the Kisoro major markets.

However Crack downs by enforcement officers resumed last week leaving some traders counting losses. A total of 700 pineapples were confiscated during an operation.

Silas Ninzeyimana, a fruit vendor and chairperson of the fruit vendors association said they have been waiting for a formal reply from the municipal authority but this has been in vain.

“It looks like our cries for more time fell on deaf ears. We cannot just join the markets in their current state because they are so disorganized and very congested”, said Ninzeyimana

He further noted that the current state of Kisoro markets is a sure way of contracting Covid-19 and the fruit vendors do not wish that for themselves or their clients.

Other Vendors who spoke to vomuhabura said the municipal authorities need to pay more attention to other problems like rubbish that is piling around the town and leave them until they have a sustainable solution.

Kisoro Mayor Responds to Accusations

The Kisoro municipality mayor Ndyana Richard says the vendors who formally requested for a six months grace period need to vacate the roadside because that time period elapsed.

Ndyana explained that the vendors were granted that period thanks to his intervention with the town clerk adding that the town clerk did not have to grant it but she understood their plight.

He further noted that all municipal authorities across the country received directives from the President, ministry of trade and District Security Committee to have street vendors removed from the roadsides in order to control the spread of covid-19 and for easy tax collection respectively.

“As Kisoro Municipality, we have a dream of becoming the best tourism town and this cannot be attained until we mean the standards of roads safety as well as ensuring that the town is clean and well organized”, Ndyana said

His Worship Ndyana advised the road side vendors to formally apply to enter any market of their choice but he noted that the evictions from the road side cannot and will not be stopped.