By Johnson Kanyesige
Hoima City security committee has suspended all operations of scrap dealers until further notice. The directive takes immediate effect.
The directive was issued by the Hoima Resident City Commissioner Badru Mugabi who doubles as the City security committee chairperson in a meeting with the scrap dealers and store owners as well as other members of the security committee at his offices on Wednesday afternoon.
He says this came after several city dwellers complained over loss of property that led to a recent security operation conducted aiming at taming and whipping on vandalism and theft.
He reveals that they discovered metallic windows, chain link fences, saucepans, street batteries, manhole covers, charcoal stoves among others from a number of scrap premises. He notes some of them were confiscated and taken to police.
He has now directed the city police commander to ensure no scrap activity/trading takes place in this time as the responsible stakeholders look into streamlining the sector.
Mugabi has also revealed that, after streamlining the scrap dealers’ operations, they will only be allowed to operate during the day time only up to 6pm halting night scrap business immediately. He says this is aimed at ensuring sanity in the sector and the entire city at large.
Innocent Ahimbisibwe, the Hoima City Clerk has informed the scrap dealers that the process of formalization and obtaining licenses will be repeated from the first step of ensuring they organize themselves in an association and elect leaders.
