Deep gully puts multimillion Paidha Central Market at risk

Zombo: A rapidly expanding deep gully is threatening to undermine a major section of Paidha Central Market in Paidha Town Council, Zombo District, raising fears of structural collapse and possible loss of life if urgent intervention is not undertaken.

The gully, which has been expanding through continuous head-cut erosion, is progressively eating into the rear boundaries of the market, threatening retaining walls, storage sheds and trading structures located close to the edge.

Heavy rainfall and high-volume surface runoff have accelerated the erosion, washing away unstable soils and transforming smaller rills into deep and widening gullies.

The situation has triggered growing concern among more than 2,000 market vendors, traders, residents, local leaders and authorities, who fear that continued erosion could eventually destroy part of the market and surrounding infrastructure.

Jerose Acirocan, Chairperson of the Paidha Market Vendors Association, said the authorities should act before the situation becomes a disaster.

“We call for action on that gully. It is either going to dismantle the entire market structure or someone will one day fall there and die straight away. This market earns more revenue to the government; something must be done about it,” Acirocan said.

Residents say the gully has continued to widen with every heavy downpour, uprooting trees, destroying gardens and advancing toward homes and other structures.

Gilbert Okech, a resident of Awinjiri Cell, said the failure to address the problem early could make future intervention more difficult and expensive.

“The problem with us here is we want things to get worse before we sort out issues. This gully is going to become a big problem because it started a long time ago and it’s extending and expanding every time it rains,” Okech said.

Gully threatens road link

The erosion is not confined to the market’s immediate surroundings.

Local leaders say the gully is part of a wider network of erosion sites affecting several parts of Paidha Town Council.

One extension is threatening to cut the major Oyullu road, which connects Awinjiri and Kololo cells and provides an important access route to the market.

Another gully is reportedly expanding through Anyong and Solia cells, putting homes and other infrastructure at risk.

Okun Andrew, LC1 Chairperson of Kololo Cell in Central Ward, said the problem dates back about a decade.

“This gully started 10 years ago as a result of running water from the old market block. It continues to create holes every day here. It’s not only threatening the market block but also lives here,” Andrew said.

A recently constructed Hope of Christ Church, located about 200 metres from the advancing gully, is also considered vulnerable as erosion continues to destroy vegetation and move closer to residential and other structures.

Jesse Okweda, Chairperson of the Paidha Elders Forum, has called for the issue to be escalated to higher government authorities in Kampala and development partners to mobilise resources for mitigation.

Sam Abedu, a property owner and former local leader, also urged area Members of Parliament to take up the matter with national authorities.

UGX3.4 billion needed for rehabilitation

Paidha Town Council says the scale of the problem is beyond its financial capacity.

Anthony Obedgiu, the town council’s Physical Planner, said a bill of quantities prepared by the council puts the estimated cost of stabilising and rehabilitating the affected areas at approximately UGX3.4 billion.

“We have submitted it to higher authorities and we call upon our leaders to add their voices on it,” Obedgiu said.

Vice LCIII Chairperson Lewin Piyic confirmed that the required intervention is outside the council’s current budget envelope.

LCIII Chairperson of Paidha Town Council Amos Jacan said the erosion poses serious risks to infrastructure and the local economy and called for coordinated intervention at the national level.

At district level, Zombo LCV Chairperson James Oruna Oyullu said development partners had recently inspected the affected sites and authorities were awaiting their feedback.

Zombo Woman MP Topista Acamfua, meanwhile, urged the local authorities to prepare and submit a detailed technical report to enable her to follow up with relevant ministries and government agencies.

Market generates millions in local revenue

Paidha Central Market is one of the most important commercial centres in the region and a major source of local government revenue.

In the 2022/23 financial year, the market generated UGX230 million in revenue, with annual collections projected at about UGX286 million.

Established decades ago by local entrepreneurs, the market has grown into a major regional trading hub serving Paidha and surrounding communities.

Its strategic location in a cosmopolitan town of more than 40,000 residents, less than three kilometres from the Democratic Republic of Congo border, has strengthened its role in cross-border and regional trade.

The market attracts traders from West Nile, northern Uganda and eastern DR Congo and handles large volumes of agricultural produce, including matooke, avocados, beans, maize, dried cassava, coffee, Irish potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Modernisation continues despite erosion threat

The council has in recent years invested in upgrading the market.

With support from the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the council commissioned 30 modern lock-up retail units in 2023.

More recently, Paidha Town Council constructed another eight modern lock-up shops at a cost of UGX112.9 million.

Once completed, the new units will bring the total number of lock-up shops at the market to 58, as part of a phased plan to replace old mud-walled structures with more durable modern facilities.

However, a significant portion of the market still consists of mud-walled structures, many dating back to the 1980s, with deteriorated, corroded and leaking roofs.

The council has also started installing protective shade structures for open-air vendors to shield them from intense sunlight and heavy rainfall, although many traders remain exposed to harsh weather conditions.

For vendors and residents, however, the expanding gully threatens to undermine these investments unless the erosion is urgently contained.

As the rainy seasons continue to intensify the damage, local leaders and traders are calling for intervention before the gully reaches critical infrastructure and turns an environmental hazard into a major disaster.

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