Security orders fresh crackdown on hawkers in Gulu city

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The 4th Infantry Division Commander, Brig. Bonny Bamwiseki has ordered security personnel to conduct a fresh crackdown on hawkers operating along major streets in Gulu city.

The orders follow the resumption of hawkers on the streets, barely four months after Gulu City Council authorities backed by the army evicted them. Both the city council authorities and security personnel blame the hawkers for rising crimes in the city center and its outskirts.

While briefing the media, security personnel and city officials on security matters in Gulu city, Brig. Bamwiseki noted the return of the hawkers is a security threat.

Brig. Bamwiseki alleges the spate of crimes conducted in the recent past in the city were orchestrated by street hawkers whose identities and line of business remains unclear.

He says the past security swoop conducted to arrest the hawkers restored sanity in the city and called for a fresh crackdown to get rid of them.

According to Brig. Bamwiseki, the majority of the hawkers are non-Ugandans. He said that there is a need to start vetting foreigners residing and those entering the city and the Acholi sub-region at large.

Lamex Akena, Deputy Speaker of Gulu City Council reiterated the need to have proper records of foreigners and particularly emphasized picking detailed records of Ugandan youth returning from South Sudan.

His concern followed the revelation from security that a number of Ugandan youth had begun returning home with guns after defecting rebel outfits in the youngest African nation.

Gulu city witnessed a spate of gun crimes mostly targeting boda boda riders early this year with police and army attributing the vice to organized street gangs disguising themselves as hawkers.

At least 48 hawkers were arrested in January from the major streets of Gulu city suspected to be part of a criminal gang terrorizing locals.

However after screening, 10 were found to be foreign nationals from Kenya, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and were all charged with illegal entry into the country.

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