Dokolo, Uganda | Residents living near Dokolo Main Market have raised concerns over the alleged misuse of the market’s public toilet, accusing some vendors of turning the facility into a storage space for food items, including cassava and sweet potatoes.
The residents, who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity on Thursday, said the practice poses a public health risk and reflects poor management of the market’s sanitation facilities.
They also faulted Dokolo Town Council authorities for allegedly neglecting the public toilet, saying the facility has been left to deteriorate and is now being misused.
The residents appealed to the town council leadership and the facility’s operator to intervene immediately and restore proper use of the public toilet.
Responding to the allegations, the officer in charge of public operations at Dokolo Town Council, Ambrose Owili, acknowledged that a few items were being kept inside the facility but explained that the toilet is currently non-functional.
Owili attributed the situation to inadequate water supply, blocked drainage systems, the dilapidated state of the structure, and persistent misuse by some market vendors.
Meanwhile, Dokolo Town Clerk Bernard Opige expressed disappointment over the misuse of the facility and directed the market leadership to ensure vendors found storing goods in the public toilet are stopped.
He said the town council is mobilising resources to renovate the facility, repair the damaged infrastructure, and restore its operations.
Investigations by this publication established that Dokolo Town Council is currently operating without a functional public toilet, raising concerns over sanitation and public health in the busy market.