But the vendors have been reluctant to do so, saying they designated areas have few potential customers. As a result, there have been clashes between the traders and city askaris.
Dar es Salaam. Authorities have ordered petty traders to stop operating in unauthorised areas and instead relocate to designated markets.
Traders operating at Ubungo along Nelson Mandela Expressway are required to shift to Mawasiliano, those at Kariakoo streets to move to the Machinga complex in Ilala while those at Kimara and near General Post Office have to go to other places.
But the vendors have been reluctant to do so, saying they designated areas have few potential customers. As a result, there have been clashes between the traders and city askaris.
Alex Ignas, 22, a vendor of small-scale children’s shoes, operated at Ubungo Darajani for four years until he and fellow traders relocated to Mawasiliano.
He is still assessing the business trend and the actual situation will be known after months. “We have been at Mawasiliano for about three weeks now. But as of now there are few customers here although there is a large movement of people,” notes Ignas.
He says sometimes he earns nothing a day unlike when he was operating at Ubungo Darajani where he used to get between Sh20,000 and Sh30,000.
Mohammed Ali has shifted to Mawasiliano, but many of his colleagues feel Ubungo is a good place for making money. “They return to Ubungo at the evening when city askaris are not there. They are doing so to earn a living.”
If he had a choice he would prefer operating at Ubungo where his daily earnings ranged from Sh10,000 to Sh30, 000.
The number of customers at Ubungo is high because the area is teeming with people.
At Mawasiliano, people simply catch buses to connect them to other places.
Martin Kadege and Rashid Simbeye who have shifted from Kariakoo to the Machinga Complex are also concerned.
The two who sell juice say they are starving.
“For two days now, we have been looking for a place of doing business, and we are therefore selling nothing,” says Kadege.
The Machinga Complex does not meet their demand. Moreover, few customers go there unlike in Kariakoo, according to them.
At Kariakoo they used to earn up to Sh100,000 a day. When business was bad, they got between Sh20,000 and Sh30,000.
Ramadhan Issa has vowed to stay put. He will not leave Ubungo. “I’m ready to die. I won’t shift to Mawasiliano where business is bad,” he says.
He started doing business at Ubungo 11 years ago after he borrowed Sh200,000 from a friend as capital. “Where will I get the money to feed my family if I shift to Mawasiliano? I have two wives and two children.”
However, his business has been disrupted by city askaris at Ubungo.
To avoid the askaris, he starts his business at late hours.
He no longer earns much. “I used to get an average of Sh10,000 as a daily profit but now, I just look for money to feed my family and not a profit.”
