By KT Reporter
A mounting sanitation crisis at Kotido’s central market has vendors up in arms, describing an environment overrun with garbage, foul odors, and swarming flies that they say threatens their health and livelihoods.
Despite being charged a daily fee of 500 shillings for market operations, vendors report that municipal authorities have consistently failed to provide basic waste management and sanitation services.
The result, they say, is a daily struggle against a “mountain of garbage” that festers for days.
John Stephen Okalany, a produce dealer at the market, said, “The condition is worse,” gesturing to the litter-strewn grounds.
He gestures to the litter-strewn grounds, emphasizing the severity of the situation. Pauline Kevin Anyango, who sells boiled potatoes, adds that the situation is more than a nuisance, expressing deep concern over the public health hazard.
Mark Lomoe, a garment dealer, says the problem is exacerbated by a complete breakdown in the market’s sanitation infrastructure. Lomoe points to a single, perpetually overflowing latrine that is overwhelmed by the market’s population.
Akongo further adds that in desperation, people—especially street dwellers—are forced to defecate openly, particularly at night. She notes that in times of need, they have to run back to their homes to answer nature’s call.
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