A fresh registration exercise has been launched at Kitgum Main Market aimed at identifying genuine vendors and eliminating what market leaders describe as “wrong elements” operating within the facility.
The exercise, which began last Friday and is expected to run for two weeks, requires all traders to provide personal details, stall information, and proof of business activity to be updated on the official vendors’ register. Market leaders say the move is intended to improve order, security, and accountability amid growing concerns over theft, illegal occupation of stalls, and unregistered individuals conducting business in the market.
Chairperson of Kitgum Main Market vendors, Quinto Olweny, said the lack of proper records has created challenges, especially when handling incidents involving unidentified individuals. He cited a recent road crash involving vendors returning from a monthly market in Lamwo two weeks ago, where one of the deceased could not be identified because he was not registered.
He also mentioned another survivor at Lamola Health Centre who was not known to other vendors, despite claiming to be part of the group. Olweny said the exercise will help create a reliable database covering all traders, including both new entrants and those who have operated in the market since 2016.
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He urged all traders to cooperate with the process, noting that it will strengthen market management and accountability. Vendors relocating from other districts will be required to present recommendation letters and transfer documentation explaining their movement.
“We want recommendations because some members could have been chased from their former market for wrongdoing and come here to hide,” Olweny said. Kitgum District Deputy Resident District Commissioner Walter Komakech Oyoo welcomed the initiative, saying it will enhance security within the market.
However, he advised that vendors’ recommendation letters should include contact details of local council leaders to prevent forgery, and called for verification of traders coming from outside the district through criminal background checks. “A group of thieves might sit down at some corner and write a letter claiming it was written by the LC One, so you need to verify,” Oyoo said.
He added that individuals with criminal backgrounds from other areas should not be allowed to hide among traders in Kitgum Main Market. Fruit vendor Rosemary Adong welcomed the registration exercise, saying it would help update outdated records that have been affected by changes in ownership, relocation, and new business entries.She also noted that the exercise would improve planning and revenue accountability within the municipality. According to Olweny, the last official registration conducted in 2018 recorded about 800 vendors operating in the market-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
