By : Our Reporter

The business community in Paidha Town Council woke up on Monday July 20^th 2026 to the full implementation of the government’s national trade order, a directive aimed at re reorganizing urban commercial activities, decongesting streets, and ensuring that businesses operate only within gazetted trading areas.

A walk through the town centre revealed a dramatic change in the commercial landscape. The once busy roads lined with roadside kiosks, stalls and makeshift structures had given way to piles of timber, iron sheets and other debris following an enforcement operation led by the town authorities.

Wooden structures that had served as places of business for years lay dismantled along the roadside, with salvaged materials stacked in heaps. Some traders had erected umbrellas and makeshift shelters beside the rubble as they attempted to continue selling goods while contemplating their next steps.

Heavy machinery moved steadily through the town, tearing down structures that had become a source of livelihood for many families. As excavators pulled apart wooden walls and iron-sheet roofs, affected traders watched helplessly as businesses they had built over the years were reduced to rubble within minutes.

According to Felix Jacwicungeo, the Community Development Officer for Paidha Town Council, the enforcement followed persistent operational challenges within the busy commercial centre. He cited illegal vending along Offaka Road, roadside kiosks obstructing pedestrian walkways, and blocked access routes as some of the issues that prompted the implementation of the government directive.

Jacwicungeo said the exercise is intended to restore order, improve accessibility and enhance the safety and appearance of the town in line with the national trade policy.

However, the operation has left many traders uncertain about their future, with several calling for guidance on alternative trading spaces and support to help them relocate their businesses.

Town authorities have urged affected traders to comply with the directive and relocate to designated trading areas, emphasizing that the exercise is intended to create a more organized, safe and business-friendly urban environment.