Last Updated on: 27th May 2023, 05:13 pm
Jinja, May 27, 2023: Jinja City Council authorities have vowed to ensure that sanity is restored within the Central Business District (CBD) where currently vendors conduct business activities even in the middle of the streets.
For years, city dwellers especially motorists have always been in a nightmare because of unruly vendors who have turned streets into garages, shops and restaurants.
Taxi touts together with their bodaboda counterparts and chapati sellers have also been blamed for carrying out their activities in non-gazetted places which end in congesting the city.
The most affected area is around the modern central market which costs the government shs28b in loan from the African Development Bank to construct but is currently having empty stalls.
Most vendors walked out of the market and are now operating along the streets where they claim to have easy access to customers who do not want to enter the facility.
For two weeks running, Jinja City has witnessed some trade orders following the heavy deployment of enforcement personnel from the council, backed by the Uganda Police Force (UPF) and the Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF).
Jinja City Clerk Edward Lwanga says they are determined to sustain the operation until the vendors accept to relocate to designated markets where they can conduct trade without disrupting others.
“…even those mechanics who are using the newly reconstructed roads as garages and the taxi operators who park and load passengers from anywhere, among others will soon be sorted out…” Lwanga said.
This was during the Final Handover of four sets of roads that were done by Stirling Civil Engineering (U) Ltd as a contractor and Infrastructure Development and Management Ltd (IDM) as the consultant and supervisor.
The roads in question are the rehabilitation of Busoga Road and the Completion of Eng Zikusooka Way and Main Street as well as additional works on Busoga Avenue that leads to the Jinja State Lodge.
The shs20b road project under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development-AF Infrastructure Investment Programme was funded by the World Bank.
Lwanga commended both the contractor and supervising consultant represented by Eng Yusuf Sale and Eng Ronald Menya respectively for the quality services given to the people of Jinja.
A Certificate of Final Completion was issued to the contractor (Stirling) after a 12 months liability period or defects monitoring period elapsed.
He promised to organise a joint inspection with the councillors of City Hall so that they also do an on-spot assessment and be able to give in their views ahead of the commissioning ceremony, likely to be presided over by President Yoweri Museveni later this year.
“…this ceremony is a technical handover but it does not mean we have ignored the other critical stakeholders especially the political wing led by the mayor and speaker who speak directly to the residents…” Lwanga stressed.
The Jinja City Engineer David Eremye applauded the two companies for a job well done amidst the historical problems of Jinja characterised by allegations and accusations.
Eremye expressed optimism about the partnership, saying there are many more opportunities in the nearby future with bigger road projects covering more than 300 kms.
He said top politicians from the Busoga region are lobbying for the government to support more infrastructures including the elevation of Bugembe Stadium, Dhaira Stadium in Walukuba and a new one in Budondo Ward, Jinja Northern City Division.