Councilors approve new market rates for Soroti City market

Soroti City councilors have approved new rental charges for Soroti Central Market, aiming to resolve ongoing disputes between city authorities and vendors.

During a special council meeting at city hall today, councilors agreed that vendors should begin paying the new rates to generate revenue for the city’s development.

The new rates, which will take effect immediately, range from Shs3,000 to Shs427,263, depending on the type of business and size of the space.

Deputy Mayor Ms Juliet Ipagi explained that the decision is intended to enhance Soroti City’s revenue collection. She noted that while the rates were initially approved and submitted to the Minister of Local Government, vendors had requested more affordable options.

“Despite the initial approval, the Minister listened to the vendors' appeals,” Ms. Ipagi stated.

As a result, the executive committee has re-submitted the harmonized rates for the Ministry of Local Government’s consideration.

Deputy Speaker Francis Tumuhimbise emphasised that the approved rates reflect an agreement between the council and the vendors, urging them to comply. He expressed confidence that the new rates are reasonable.

“We need the vendors to understand that revenue is important for market maintenance, especially for garbage collection. We can no longer accept defeat in this area,” he said.

Ms Hellen Grace Odeke, a market vendor, expressed her readiness to pay, provided the council honors their agreement. “The city has delayed action because the initial rates were too high,” she said.

The Shs24 billion Soroti Central Market was built with funding from the African Development Bank and was inaugurated by President Yoweri Museveni in November 2020, commencing operations in June 2021 with over 1,000 vendors.