Soroti District Updates;
MAAIF Repossess Soroti Contested Market Land
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, MAAIF has repossessed over 200 acres of Land in Soroti after the contention between Soroti District and the City authorities.

Early this month, Soroti City Councilors locked horns with the district leadership after the latter demolished weekly market structures at Amukaru, an area belonging to Aloet Ward in Soroti City.

The city councilors accused the district authorities of frustrating efforts by the city to create revenue bases when the district reportedly demolished Amukaru market. They faulted the district chairperson, Simon Peter Edoru Ekuu and the RDC, Patrick Okumu of setting a parallel weekly market at Akaikai in Arapai Sub County against another market, Amukaru in Aloet Ward on the same day, Thursday. The two markets are within the same locality, formerly under Arapai Sub County.

But the district, in response, said that they had only relocated from their old site (now under the city) to Akaikai which belongs to the district. Soroti has been running a weekly market, Arapai, every Thursday, which was affected by the creation of Soroti City.

On Tuesday, the MAAIF official, Dr. Robert Ojala, the Senior Veterinary Inspector in charge North Eastern Uganda told leaders drawn from both sides that the MAAIF had taken a decision to repossess the land as quarantine station for Teso Sub Region.

Dr. Ojala said that the decision to make the pronouncement on the repossession of the land follows the ongoing conflict between Soroti District and the City over the assets. He adds that plans are underway to rectify issues of boundaries and illegal occupants in the said land.

Luke Lokuda, the Chief Administrative Officer of Soroti says that the decision by MAAIF to repossess the land is timely especially at the time when tempers were high between the two institutions.

He says that the decision to raze the structures at Amukaru was informed by some actions that he declined to divulge.
Emmanuel Okaja, the Deputy City Clerk Soroti city said the move by MAAIF is welcome but asked them to make the best use of the land to protect it from encroachers.

The struggle for the weekly market area between the district and the city was contained by security involvement.
The meeting was held yesterday on Tuesday at Soroti Lukiko Council Hall.
From Communication Office
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