Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila has given small-scale traders operating on streets and outside shops in Kariakoo one month to relocate into designated shop spaces, as authorities move to clear blocked roads and drainage channels in the busy commercial district.
Mr Chalamila issued the directive on Thursday, September 24, 2026, during an inspection of several streets in Kariakoo, Ilala District, where he found traders displaying goods on drainage channels, outside other people's shops and along roads.
He said the traders would have one month from Thursday to stop conducting business on roads and in front of other people's shops, directing them instead to operate from shop premises.
The move is part of efforts to improve access and order in Kariakoo, one of Dar es Salaam's main commercial centres.
Mr Chalamila also ordered the Ilala Regional Police Commander to arrest the owner of a building in Kariakoo accused of discharging wastewater improperly, saying the practice violated the law.
He further directed the Ilala District Commissioner to continue operations against traders conducting business on drainage channels.
Ilala District Commissioner Edward Mpogolo said the district had continued implementing President Samia Suluhu Hassan's directives to restore access to Kariakoo Market and ensure roads in the area remain passable.
He identified blocked drainage channels, cooking activities inside Kariakoo and traders unloading goods on roads as some of the challenges affecting movement in the area.
Speaking on behalf of small-scale traders, popularly known as machinga, their Kariakoo chairman Livingston Lusinde said the traders were ready to leave Kariakoo and relocate to the area allocated to them in Jangwani.
However, he asked the government to provide an update on plans to construct a market at the Jangwani site to support the relocation process.
Kariakoo Traders Association chairman Severin Mushi welcomed the government's efforts to improve the area, including measures to remove street traders from in front of established shops.
Kariakoo is a major trading hub in Dar es Salaam and attracts large numbers of traders and customers, making road access, waste management and drainage key concerns for businesses operating in the area.