Juba is a rapidly growing city, yet one major challenge continues to hinder its rise to the orderly capital South Sudan deserves: the uncontrolled spread of vendors along key pavements, junctions, and roadsides.
This article does not, in any way, undermine the importance of vendors, but rather calls for their orderly operation in a national capital.
What began as a desperate survival mechanism, a practice largely alien to structured national capitals, has now morphed into a sprawling urban menace that gravely threatens public safety, environmental sanitation, orderly commerce, and the dignity, image, and soul of the city.
Plagued by wheelbarrow pushers, head-load sellers, cart operators, table traders, kiosk owners, and fuel dealers scattered across major streets in the heart of the capital, including busy zones such as Custom Market and Konyo-Konyo, the practice paints a troubling picture of urban disorder.
Movement is choked, and the dignity of the city is steadily eroded by unregulated street trading. Even more alarming, areas around Hai Tijaria – just around a kilometer from the State House J-One, have turned into risky black markets where boys openly sell petrol in jerrycans – an illegal and highly combustible practice, exposing Juba to fire hazards, environmental danger, and a striking embarrassment that distances it further from the standards of organized cities.
You will struggle to find a clear sidewalk in some of the streets. Vendors squeeze themselves along busy roads, blocking pedestrian movement and forcing people into the traffic lanes. This is not merely inconvenient – it is dangerous. The congested spaces they create also make it nearly impossible for emergency services to reach scenes quickly. In a city already vulnerable to market fires and slow response times, this situation puts lives and livelihoods at constant risk.
But the problem does not end with safety. Unregulated vending undermines local businesses that pay rent, taxes, and meet basic standards. When streets become free-for-all marketplaces, formal traders face unfair competition, customers struggle to access shops, and the environment becomes chaotic. Traffic congestion increases, garbage accumulates, and the city collects almost no revenue from thousands of vendors occupying public land. Ultimately, Juba loses millions of pounds in potential municipal funds.
An organized city is the heartbeat of national pride, economic growth, and public safety. When streets are orderly and free from disorderly vendors, movement becomes smooth, businesses thrive in a structured environment, and emergency services can operate swiftly without obstruction. Clean, regulated urban spaces improve sanitation, reduce the spread of disease, and protect residents from environmental and fire hazards.
A well-organized city also projects a powerful image to investors, tourists, and international partners. It reflects discipline, governance, and respect for law and order. Cities that control street vending create space for proper markets, protect consumers from unsafe products, and uphold the dignity of public spaces. In the long term, urban organization strengthens security, boosts commerce, enhances quality of life, and transforms a city into a symbol of modern development rather than disorder and survival.
Recently, when Juba Mayor Christopher Sarafino Wani courageously stepped beyond the confines of his office to confront the disorder by street vendors, the nation witnessed an act of hands-on leadership. Yet, his intervention was met with mixed reactions, with some voices hastily casting aspersions. This episode mirrors what I once described as the entrenchment of a negative social norm that has steadily corroded the moral and civic fabric of our society.
What is unfolding in Juba today is nothing short of a civic tragedy. It is primitive, archaic, and utterly unbecoming of a modern capital city. It is a painful contradiction to the dignity of our hard-earned sovereignty. We must awaken to the undeniable truth that we are no longer a people in political infancy; we are a sovereign nation bound by both duty and honor to uphold order and decency. We do not exist in isolation from the civilized world.
Those who have had the privilege of traversing other cities carry with them a deep sense of shame and national embarrassment when confronted with the disorder that now stains the image of Juba – a disorder largely driven by the unrestrained invasion of street vendors. Alarmingly, this menace had, until recent months, crept as far as the airport – a gateway that should reflect national pride, not national disorder. This is a cancerous practice that must be uprooted if we are to reclaim the dignity, discipline, and pride befitting the capital of the Republic of South Sudan.
The Mayor’s decision to reorganize street vendors is not only justified – it is long overdue. Public spaces belong to all citizens, not a select group that chooses to operate without regulation. The Mayor’s move to relocate vendors to designated and safer areas is a step toward restoring urban discipline, improving safety, and protecting the long-term economic health of the city. Critics may call the operation harsh, but the truth is simple: no capital city can function when every road becomes a market.
Experiences from other African cities show that what Mayor Wani is attempting is standard practice. In Kigali, Rwanda, street vending is strictly regulated, and vendors are organized into cooperatives and assigned controlled zones. This ensures both order and opportunity. In Nairobi, Kenya, the city enforces bylaws that prevent vending on main streets while providing alternative spaces and licensing systems. In Johannesburg, South Africa, the informal trading sector is allowed but tightly governed, with clear hygiene rules, designated sites, and enforcement mechanisms. These cities demonstrate that urban order is possible – but only when leadership takes decisive action. Juba cannot remain an exception, where regulation is ignored, and chaos becomes normal.
The most effective solution to the growing number of street vendors in the heart of Juba is structured relocation, combined with strong regulation. Relocating vendors to areas such as Gurei, Jondoru, and Shirikat – out of the periphery of the city center – can be a practical and realistic option, but it should be done in an organized way. These areas can be developed into satellite markets with basic infrastructure such as stalls, water access, sanitation, lighting, and security. This gives vendors a dignified place to work while freeing the city center from congestion. At the same time, the city authority should create clear vending zones and permits, allowing only licensed traders to operate in approved areas.
Vending should be restricted from main roads, hospitals, and government offices due to safety and security risks. Other support programs like cheap stall spaces, micro-loans for small traders, training on hygiene and business skills may be extended.
Supporting the Mayor’s reorganization is not about punishing the poor; it is about upholding public interest – building a city where everyone can operate safely, fairly, and with dignity. If Juba aims to compete with modern African capitals, then embracing urban discipline is non-negotiable. The streets must serve the public, not function as unregulated markets.
The writer, Waakhe Simon Wudu, is a South Sudanese journalist and a student of Strategic Security Studies. He can be reached via wakemurye@gmail.com
The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by Radio Tamazuj are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made is the responsibility of the author, not Radio Tamazuj.