Soroti city authorities clear illegal street traders in enforcement drive

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Soroti city authorities have mounted a surprise enforcement operation, impounding vendors’ containers and clearing traders from road reserves, walkways and major corridors in a move officials say is aimed at restoring order and improving urban standards.

The operation on February 26, 2026, conducted under the supervision of Soroti city deputy town clerk Joseph Mwesigwa, saw several containers stocked with merchandise confiscated and transported to the city offices.

The crackdown follows a series of public notices aired earlier this month on Soroti-based radio stations, warning traders to vacate unauthorised spaces and relocate to gazetted markets. Despite the warnings, many vendors reportedly remained in place.

Mwesigwa said the enforcement exercise will be extended to all streets across the city.

“The operation will continue until order is restored,” he said, noting that the objective is to ensure Soroti meets the required standards of a city.

He added that city authorities had received complaints from administrators of secondary schools about vendors operating near school premises without official documentation.

In a further warning, Mwesigwa called on the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) to desist from connecting electricity to structures erected illegally along road reserves and other unauthorised areas.

The enforcement team cleared sections along Soroti–Mbale Road near the fence of Soroti Secondary School, Old Soroti–Mbale Road and parts of the central business district.

However, the operation has sparked concern among affected traders, some of whom say they have invested heavily in their businesses and were left with little time to adjust.

Francis Kamia, whose container was impounded during the swoop, appealed to city authorities for clemency and the return of his property.

Kamia says he invested shs1.7 million, savings accumulated over a year, into the container and fears he may struggle to rebuild his livelihood if it is not returned.

“I saved for one year to invest in this business,” he said. “If they don’t return my container, life will be very difficult.”

Another vendor, Samuel Otim, who has operated on the Soroti-Mbale road for four years, said he narrowly avoided losing his container after receiving a phone call at around 11:00pm alerting him to the ongoing enforcement.

Otim said he managed to remove his container in time but faulted the city for what he described as abrupt action.

“We needed guidance on the way forward,” he said. “Evicting us without showing us where to go leaves us stranded.”

City authorities have since advised all vendors operating in non-gazetted areas to relocate to designated markets, insisting that enforcement will continue.

The latest crackdown highlights the growing tension between urban regulation efforts and informal traders struggling to survive amid limited designated trading spaces, a balancing act many emerging cities across Uganda continue to grapple with.