Reports indicate that Gulu Municipal Council is losing millions of shillings in revenues as traders leave the lockup shops build within the new main market due to high cost of rent fees.
According to a list compiled by Francis Megolonyo, the Market Master, atleast 140 of the 244 lock-ups have been evacuated.
Some of the lock-ups were never occupied since the 26 billion shillings market was officially commissioned by President Museveni in August last year.
Each of the lock-ups could fetch between 150,000 – 250,000 shillings for the Gulu Municipal Council in rent fees.
Moses Abonga, the Division LC III Chairperson says the lock-ups on the western and northern sides are almost empty.
Abonga noted that the business operators who formerly occupied those lock-ups have complained of high charges and yet their businesses are performing poorly.
On that ground, Abonga observed that this has made it expensive to run business in the market due to low sales.
He also attributed the mass evacuation of traders from the new market to the failure by Gulu Municipal Council officials to adhere to the Ministry of Government’s guidelines.
Local Government Ministry’s guidelines say traders dealing in specific goods should operate in a gazzetted section of the market marked but this has not been enforced.
The Chairperson Finance and Planning Committee, Eric Odong who visited the market on August 18, 2016 with members of his committee on a fact finding mission even those who operates butcheries in the market are complaining of high costs of rent.
A single lock- up for butcher is being charged at 100,000 shillings per month.
Early this month, Patrick Omaya, the Chairperson of the vendors under their umbrella Gulu Main Market Association complained bitterly to the office Municipal Mayor against the high charges.
George Labeja, the Mayor says there is no way the current charges can be revised considering the fact that the market facility is too costly to run.
Currently, the market raises between 8-9 million shillings each month.
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Labong, you went hunting for the White elephant with fanfare. Now that, you met the huge beast standing before you in the concrete fields, basking under the sweet Gulu sun. Where are the beast-slayer’s with their spears?