By KT Reporter
The market premises worth UGX 500 million, constructed under oilseed projects in Omoro Town Council, Omoro District, remains idle despite being fully completed in 2024. The market, located on a one-acre piece of land at Okar Cell, Opit Central Ward, was designed to be a modern daily market in Omoro Town Council, intended to accommodate 200 vendors or more. It was equipped with essential facilities such as toilets, water taps, electricity, and a well-planned compound.
However, URN has learned that the first contractor awarded the project abandoned the site at the floor level before completion for unclear reasons. The Omoro District Engineering Department later took over and completed the unfinished work. At present, challenges involve three parties: the vendors, the town council, and the district authorities. While the district engineering department has completed its work, the town council is struggling to relocate vendors from the old Opit Upper Market to the new site, as vendors complain about its distance from the town center.
Coopil Santos Ojok, Omoro District Engineer, said the market design is complete and can accommodate 200 to 400 vendors. “The district has mandated the town council to allow vendors to occupy the market. The road leading to the market is accessible, and water, toilets, and compound space are properly designed,” he said. “The district is waiting for a response from town council authorities. Inspection by our engineering team confirmed nothing prevents the market from operating.”
Okellakwo Walter Lukwiya, Omoro Town Council LC3 Chairperson and Finance Secretary, explained that the market was intended for daily operations, but vendors are hesitant due to its distance from the town center, located half a kilometer from town along Moroto Road opposite Opit Central Forest Reserve. “Vendors are concerned about security because the market is near a forest reserve. They also fear low customer turnout and poor roads, especially during the rainy season,” he said. “We are now considering converting the modern market into a weekly market because vendors are not showing interest to occupy it as planned.”
Lukwiya added that the market was expected to generate UGX 20 million quarterly, more than the current daily market, which generates only UGX 7 million quarterly. Currently, Omoro Town Council has one daily market (Opit Upper Market) and one functional weekly market (Opit Market). With a growing population and infrastructural developments, the town council plans to open additional revenue points to meet its budget targets. However, some of these plans, including the new market, are not yielding expected results.
Dorine Auma, Chairperson of Opit Upper Market vendors, said the new market site is too far, and vendors fear theft due to its isolated location near a forest reserve. “Town council authorities planned this without consulting the community, which is why they now face challenges relocating vendors,” Auma said. “We encourage the council to convert the new market into a weekly market, mainly for livestock and other purposes, as we are unwilling to move our businesses there.”
The issue of market relocation in Omoro Town Council is not new. In 2019, the Opit Daily Market operated along the streets until the council acquired a one-acre plot at Opit Lower to relocate vendors. That attempt led to strikes and injuries, raising fears that relocation to the new site may face similar resistance. Omoro Town Council generates revenue through market points, shops, street vendors, butcher sites, and other sources.
The council’s 2025/2026 budget was approved at UGX 60 million, up from UGX 30 million, primarily based on local revenue collections. Okello Peter Douglas Okao, Omoro District LC5 Chairperson, urged town council authorities to follow proper procedures to encourage vendors to use the market voluntarily, rather than forcefully.
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