Over 300 displaced traders in Dodoma are urging government intervention after being left without a place to conduct business for seven months.
More than 300 traders from the former Rehema Nchimbi Market in Dodoma are sounding the alarm, pleading for government intervention to resolve an ongoing relocation crisis.
Since being uprooted from their original stalls last October to accommodate parliamentary expansion, these business owners have spent seven months in limbo, unable to resume their livelihoods at the designated Umonga site.
This delay highlights the growing tension between municipal bureaucratic requirements and the urgent economic survival of small-scale entrepreneurs who have been left without a viable workspace.
Business owners claim they were promised the Umonga location as a permanent solution, yet they remain blocked from setting up their trade.. This prolonged inactivity has pushed many into severe financial distress, forcing them to sell personal assets just to cover basic living expenses and mounting bank loan repayments.
Prisca Chibwaye, one of the affected traders, noted that while they appreciated the government’s initial efforts to secure the new site, the promised infrastructure upgrades—such as leveling the ground and improving access—have stalled completely.. Despite clear directives issued during a visit by high-ranking officials earlier this year, the site remains largely unusable.
Misryoum reports that the delay involves conflicting narratives regarding site readiness and administrative compliance.. While traders argue that infrastructure, including basic water and sanitation services, is non-existent, local municipal authorities contend that the holdup lies in the refusal of many traders to sign formal occupancy contracts.
According to Nsubisi Kapura of the Dodoma City Council, the government cannot permit operations without legal agreements in place.. He further noted that disputes have arisen over the official registration list, with some traders demanding the inclusion of additional members outside the original headcount.
The administrative stalemate leaves hundreds of families without a source of income, effectively paralyzing their participation in the local economy. For these traders, the lack of a swift resolution represents a deepening debt cycle and an uncertain future for their families.
As both sides remain at a standstill, the lack of a functioning marketplace underscores the critical need for a streamlined communication process between municipal leadership and the citizens they serve to prevent further economic erosion.