🔊 Toilet queues frustrate male vendors in Soroti Main Market

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Male vendors at Soroti Main Market have raised concerns over what they describe as an unfair and inadequate toilet setup.

Each floor of the market has just one toilet for able-bodied men and one for persons with disabilities, compared to four for women.

Francis Omoding, a vendor, says this has resulted in long queues, with men sometimes forced to share facilities meant for women.

He blames the government for poor planning, noting that the ground-floor toilet for persons with disabilities is currently out of service.

Michael Ogole, another vendor, has called on the city authorities to urgently construct additional toilets outside the market to relieve the pressure.

However, not all vendors are dissatisfied. Immaculate Apolot, a tomato vendor, says the women’s facilities are now sufficient and cleaner than before.

She attributes the improvement to government efforts, especially in prioritising female hygiene.

Meanwhile, Dan Edepu Engoriait, president of the Soroti City Development Forum, notes that vendor representatives were involved in the original planning of the market.

He questions why complaints are surfacing now, four years after the market's completion.

He advises vendors to use the upper-floor toilets if the ground-floor ones are full.

City health inspector Moses Amolo says male users may use disability-access toilets when necessary.

He adds that shillings 12 million from local revenue has been allocated to improve hygiene and sanitation at the market.

“We’re working on urgent repairs and improvements,” he says.

Soroti Main Market accommodates over 2,000 vendors with 520 lockups, 249 pitches, and nearly 400 stalls.

The sanitation challenge highlights broader issues in urban infrastructure planning, with visible toilet shortages serving as a stark reminder of systemic gaps.

The market is officially overseen by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, which supervises public markets across the country.