Town clerk of Gulu City Council Innocent Ahimbisibwe, on Wednesday led a team of city officials on an inspection tour of Gulu main market.

The visit was to identify gaps affecting the building, cleanliness and smooth operation of the market ahead of the planned Baraza meeting with the vendors.

The team comprised officials from the city council’s law enforcement, market administration, revenue, commercial and health departments, who engaged market leadership and vendors while assessing the conditions across different sections of the facility.

Among the key challenges identified were poor hygiene in some sections, particularly the fish and meat areas; vendors operating in corridors despite the availability of unused stalls; restaurants operating in market corridors; plumbing, water supply challenges; and potholes on sections of the market floor.

The team also observed that there is a need to improve the drainage and waste management systems within the market as we prepared to host our baraza meeting with market vendors in Gulu main market.

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Town clerk Ahimbisibwe tasked the city’s engineering department to assess areas requiring renovation and other dilapidated infrastructure which need attention improvements.

Health inspectors were also directed to strengthen enforcement of cleanliness standards, particularly in areas found to be unhygienic, while market administration was instructed to intensify efforts to organise the market and ensure vendors occupy spaces according to the designated demarcations.

Ahimbisibwe further urged market leadership to take greater responsibility in maintaining order and cleanliness within the market areas.

He emphasised that stalls constructed or designated by city should be properly utilized and that goods should not be displayed on the market floor or in corridors”

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The accounting officer further called for proper arrangement of stock administrators of the market to minimise unnecessary congestion of the vendors within the corridor.

During the inspection, the town clerk held an engagement with vendors from the utensils section, who raised concerns over the lack of allocated space.

Through their chairperson, Patrick Omaya, the vendors explained that the absence of designated space had forced some of them to operate along corridors and streets.

In response, Ahimbisibwe directed the market administration to address the issue as part of the ongoing reorganisation, with the exercise expected to be completed before the baraza.

The meeting was projected to provide an opportunity for city officials to sensitise vendors on proper market use, cleanliness, compliance and the responsibilities of both vendors and market leadership.

The principal revenue officer, Geoffrey Oyoo, encouraged vendors to remain committed to their businesses while working together with the city authorities to maintain the main market as an organised clean conducive business environment.

The inspection is part of the city’s efforts to address existing gaps at the main market that have for long been raised to the leaders but today not addressed to improve conditions for both vendors and customers since the market was constructed.