Archive for category: Police case

Gulu – The authorities of Gulu main market closed the market in protest against the implementation of new rental fees by City Authorities.

Last Monday, Gulu market vendors and their leadership decided not to open the gates to the market until City Authorities addressed them.

The Chairman of Gulu Market Vendors Association, Mr. Omaya Patrick told theCooperator in an interview that the market will remain closed until the issue is settled.

He accused the Gulu City Authorities of increasing rental fees without consulting the market vendors.

According to Omaya, the rental fee for stalls was increased from Shs10,000 to Shs40,000 while lockup shops moved from Shs70,000 to Shs150,000 and Shs500,000 depending on their positions to attract customers.

However, he also accused the Council of failing to control the developers whom he says are renting out their lockup shops to vendors between Shs400,000 to Shs500,000.

“What is annoying vendors are the developers, we’re not sure of their contract with the city authority. To make matters worse, they are subletting the facilities to the vendors. They pay the city council a penny but exaggerate prices when subletting out their lockup shops. One guy is renting at Shs200,000 from the council and subletting at Shs500,000. We wonder who the real owner of the facility is” he said.

He also noted that Council had summoned them for the signing of the new tenancy agreement at the municipal yard instead of the market. It was expected to begin on the 15th of November 2021, a decision he says has escalated the crisis in the market and sparked off the protest.

“Today, they told us they are starting the signing of agreements from the municipal yard. As a market management committee, we proposed that the signing should be done from here. We have a conference hall here at the market. We shall use all means to compel them to do the signing from here. We only want them to come and clarify a few issues then the market will be opened” Omaya added.

The vendors have also asked the City Authorities to explain why the Council has failed to remit back to the Council 18 percent of the revenue collected from the market to support its maintenance.

This according to him is in line with the market management guide from the Ministry of Local Government that, part of the revenue collected be saved and given back to the market for maintenance.

The walls have some cracks and the market management guide which came from the ministry stated very clearly that out of the total revenue generated from the market, they should save 18 percent for market repairs and any eventuality in the future. It is now five years and we haven’t seen the money.

Several vendors who spoke to theCooperator described the decision as unjustifiable looking at the current situation of Covid 19 with many of the vendors now struggling to do business.

Ms. Dorcus Kay Elima, who deals in cosmetics and is a salon operator in the market says, she had to acquire a loan of Shs700,000 to settle the outstanding rent arrears she accumulated during the first lockdown and now struggling to recover the losses she incurred during the pandemic.

Florence Akello, a mother of 6 children and a former LRA abductee who sells vegetables in the market urged the Council to be considerate and look at the new fee structures before implementation.

“This market is the father of my 3 children, I returned with them from captivity and I can’t trace their homes. We pray that the Council understands us” Akello said.

Beatrice Acayo, another vendor and a tailor in the market says, her rent increased from Shs20,000 to Shs70,000 even when she is only allocated a portion in the corridor.

However, Christine Atimango, one of the developers, noted that many of the developers have not recovered the cost incurred in developing the market before the government took over in 2016.

“We are not against paying the tax but we are saying the tenancy agreement be carefully looked into in a way that will not deprive us” she added.

The Resident City Commissioner [RCC], Denis Odwong Odongpiny proposed a grace period of 10 years in the tenancy agreement to give an enabling environment to the developers for joint ownership of the market with the Council.

“We are aware that many of the technocrats have allocated themselves lockup shops and now they are renting them out to vendors at Shs600,000, others are clergymen but we can’t now dispossess them. It will lead us into a legal battle” Odongpiny added.

However, Alfred Okwonga, the Gulu City Mayor says, the matter will have to be discussed and settled in a full Council meeting.

“Nobody can make a decision now on the new tenancy agreement, this is a matter for Council to discuss and take a position,” Okwonga said.

The market was however constructed by the government at the cost of Shs29 billion under the Market Agricultural Trade Improvement Project and commissioned in 2016 with the expected capacity to accommodate 4,000 vendors but the record from the market indicates 1,200 vendors have failed to return to the market when the lockdown was eased.

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President Yoweri Museveni has proposed 5-year imprisonment and confiscation for the auction of cattle belonging to errant Balaalo cattle keepers. This follows a recent pressure by leaders including Members of Parliament, and Ker Kwaro Acholi, the Acholi Cultural Institution.

Early this month, in meetings held at Ker Kwaro Acholi Headquarters in Gulu City, Anthony Akol, the Chairperson Acholi Parliamentary Group [APG], and Ambrose Olaa, the Prime Minister Ker Kwaro Acholi gave a 14-day-ultimatum to the Balaalo to leave Acholi sub-region.

The decision follows a public outcry on the Balaalo of their activities which is manifested through land grabbing, forest destruction, sexual abuse among others in the Acholi sub-region.

In a letter dated 2nd November this year, Museveni wants amendments made to the law so that indiscipline, inconsiderate cattle keepers are imprisoned.

“Furthermore, the necessary laws should be amended to provide for imprisonment [Possibly 5 years] and the confiscation and auctioning of the cattle involved in this endemic indiscipline,” Museveni`s letter read in part.

Museveni who four years ago ordered that all the Balaalo who were in the country illegally be evicted. He said that even if they [Balaalo] lease or buy land, the question is: “is that land fenced and does it have water within in?” if the answer is “no”, then the next question is: “How will this migrant stop his cattle from trampling on the crops of others?” said the President.

In his latest directive in a letter, the President gave a two months ultimatum for the indisciplined and inconsiderate Balaalo to be evicted from the country subsequently forming a three-man committee comprising of David Muhoozi, Bwogo Engola, and Bright Rwamirama to implement his latest directive. He says the Resident District Commissioners [RDCs], Gombolola Internal Security Officer [GISOs] and all Veterinary staffs are to be held accountable.

According to Museveni, the Balaalo are either non-Ugandans coming from neighboring countries or indisciplined Ugandans that sold their land and are now disturbing other Ugandans and should not be tolerated.

“The central issue is permission to move cattle. Cattle should not be moved unless the Local Government Authorities [Parish Chiefs] and the Veterinary Officers where the cattle are going to and where they are coming from say it is okay to move the cattle. The Balaalo only do what they are doing in three ways. One way is to invade the area without owning any land there and impose their cattle on other people`s land or of the land of the government. The second way is to buy land from the locals and the third way is to lease land from the locals. In all the three ways, their movement is illegal” Museveni`s letter read in part.

Anthony Akol, the Chairperson of Acholi Parliamentary Group hopes this time the implementation of this directive is done because, on numerous occasions, directives are given and are not followed.

Denis Onekalit Amere, the Kitgum Municipality MP says, much as the President is giving directives, there`s a need to investigate how the Balaalo get access to the movement permits especially from the Ministry of Agriculture before seeking further permission from the veterinary and local officials.

According to Amere, the whole Balaalo thing might be a planned move to grab land displace the indigenous landowners especially for the Acholi sub-region which is still recovering from the effects of the over 2-decade war.

Lucy Akello, the Amuru district woman Member of Parliament wants a specific effort targeting sensitization of the communities on land ownership since it’s mostly them who are selling away land due to ignorance in the pretext of the need for money.

According to Akello, Ker Kwaro Acholi, and the district local governments should come up with ordinances and by-laws which bar individuals from selling family or communal land to investors or cattle keepers.

“The biggest problem is that we have people who are illiterate and poor. And so, the brokers and elite people take advantage of them. So, we need the districts and Ker Kwaro Acholi to come up with sensitization programs, by-laws, and ordinances so that such rampant sale of land in the sub-region is halted” Akello notes.

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