🔊 Soroti’s Oparia Market stuck in filth amid bureaucratic wrangles

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Vendors at Oparia Market in Soroti city are raising alarm over a worsening sanitation crisis, which they say is putting their health and livelihoods at serious risk.

Constructed in 2022 through the Ministry of Health’s Uganda Sanitation Fund, the market serves over 200 vendors. However, just three years after completion, it now suffers from open defecation, overflowing rubbish pits, a lack of running water, and an inadequate drainage system.

Vendors blame Soroti City Council for neglecting the facility.

“We pay dues, and they collect rent from us,” said Judith Apolot, a food vendor.

“But the city has not bothered to provide a water tank or even a cleaner. The toilet is full, and the stench is unbearable. We end up using the nearby bush.”

The market's solid waste pit is overflowing, and garbage now spills into trading areas, creating a breeding ground for disease.

No Latrine, No Water

The only latrine available has been rendered unusable due to a broken cistern and lack of running water, forcing vendors to resort to nearby bushes. With no waste collection service and a clogged drainage system, the market environment is deteriorating fast.

Steven Ocen, the chairperson of Oparia Market, said multiple attempts to engage city authorities have failed.

“We’ve raised this issue with the city health inspector and mayor several times, but nothing has changed,” he said.

“We are tired of promises.”

City authorities respond

Soroti City health inspector Dennis Opolot acknowledged the poor state of the market and admitted the facility is not under full city management due to disputes surrounding its ownership.

“This facility has issues dating back to the construction phase,” he explained.

“There was no clear handover from the Ministry of Health to Soroti City Council. The pit latrine is also poorly constructed.”

Opolot assured vendors that discussions are underway to establish full city control over the facility. However, he advised vendors to remain patient as the matter is resolved.

Until then, traders at Oparia Market continue to operate in unsanitary and unsafe conditions, with public health risks mounting by the day.