Gulu Market traders demand action against street vendors

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A longstanding dispute between vendors trading inside and outside Gulu Main Market boiled over on June 4, 2025, disrupting business as a section of aggrieved traders staged a protest.

The disgruntled vendors, who operate from within the market, accuse Gulu City Council of failing to evict traders selling outside, despite repeated complaints.

Carrying placards protesting the operations outside the market, the vendors blocked the street leading to the market and chanted in protest, prompting police to intervene and restore order.

A dummy put in the middle of the road.

Susan Aketo, one of the protesters, blamed the city council for failing to enforce order, saying the presence of vendors outside the market had drained business from those inside.

“Most buyers stop outside,” she said.

Another vendor, Francis Akena Odong, echoed Aketo’s concerns.

Peter Banya, the Gulu deputy resident city commissioner for Laroo-Pece Division, arrived at the scene and assured vendors that he would convene meetings with relevant authorities to resolve the matter.