President Yoweri Museveni has taken time off his campaign scheduled to open the shs24 billion Soroti main market in Soroti town, Teso sub-region.
The function to commission the market was held on Sunday afternoon.
According to the Local Government Minister, Raphael Magyezi, the new modern market will be a game-changer, not only in Soroti but the region at large in terms of creating jobs for people.
“It is a major achievement for government in this region and specifically for the new Soroti city to boost incomes and production in the area,”Magyezi said.
The minister explained that the new market has over 1300 facilities in terms of lockups and stalls with a capacity to employ over 5000 people directly and indirectly in terms of suppliers of goods, vendors, and others providing other auxiliary services like transport.
“The market has been constructed specifically for the low-income earners and the vendors who were operating in the old market which was demolished. Whereas the old market had not more than 700 stalls, we are now talking about doubling that number here.”
According to Magyezi, the market will be dedicated to vendors who are full-time engaged in working in the market but not the absentee landlords who want to get stalls and hire them out.
The market
The facility constructed using a loan facility from the African Development Bank worth shs23.4 billion will in addition to stalls and lockups have CCTV cameras linked to the Soroti Central Police Station, 500,000 litre water tank, butchers, chicken cages, cold rooms and service centers: tailoring, pharmacies, financial institutions and small scale value addition units.
The new modern market will also have prayer rooms, restaurants, daycare facilities, meeting rooms, and a Police Post.
The facility was constructed by Techno Three Uganda Limited in a joint venture with PS Constructions.
