A consortium of leaders, business community members, vendors, and drivers representing their associations in Zombo district have made an earnest plea for the construction of a modern market in Paidha town council. They made the plea during the commissioning of 30 lock-up shops, a project funded by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) under the Local Government Excellence Fund (LGEF) as part of the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU).
The project, which cost UGX 343,616,900, marked the completion of half of the phase-one project. Joel Mundua, Program Manager/Deputy Head of Office at the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), had previously assured leaders that they had assessed the Paidha market and that both the government and EU would allocate funds for its full construction.
Completing the Paidha main market building would require UGX 3.5 billion to finish the entire structure. During a gathering on Friday, several leaders, including James Uyullu Uruna (LC V Chairman Zombo district), Innocent Onega Godfrey (LC III Chairman Paidha town council), Agrey Odong (business community Chairperson), Oliver Kwiyucwiny (Vendors representative), and district engineer Isaac, lauded the collaboration between the government, EU, and UNCDF in commencing the construction of lock-up shops around Paidha market. They also called for additional funding.
“We request for more funds so that we work on lock-ups to save our people and this will help us raise local revenue, We expect to have a storage building to accommodate all the vendors.” Zombo leaders lamented Paidha market is the food hub for entire Northern Uganda particularly the cities of Arua, Gulu, and Lira and South Sudan and Dr. Congo respectively.
During an inspection of the market, State Minister for Northern Uganda Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, Commissioner for Local Economic Development (LED) Anthony Nawala, and Dmitry Pozhidear, UNDCF’s Head of Country Office, recognized the market’s potential. Oliver Kwiyucwiny pointed out that leaky roofs, rodents, and cats have damaged goods and merchandise in the stores.
While new lock-up shop occupants are pleased with their safe storage, vegetable vendors still face challenges. Kwiyucwiny emphasized the need for gutter installation, toilet and washroom facilities, water tanks, and pavement. She also called for the construction of buildings for vegetable vendors and merchandise dealers.
Anthony Nawala, representing Minister for Local Government Raphael Magezi, expressed gratitude to the EU for supporting initiatives in the agricultural sector, food security, private sector growth, and empowering farmers with knowledge and skills. He also mentioned support for revenue collection and management through the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS).
Dmitry Pozhidear, UNDCF’s Head of Country Office, praised the proactive leaders of Paidha town council for constructing six lock-up shops, demonstrating the community’s commitment. He promised that the EU would continue to support the government.
Northern Uganda Minister Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny acknowledged the presence of many dilapidated buildings and urged quick intervention. She expressed concern about women vendors who are exposed to the elements and have limited income. Kwiyucwiny emphasized the need for additional support from the government to address these challenges.
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