Local leaders in the eastern district of Mbale have expressed concern over the increasing number of prostitutes in the whole town which is putting the number of youth in Mbale at risk of being infected with HIV while others stand high chances of being addicted to prostitutes.
Many of the prostitutes come from Kenya,Kampala and the north and are mainly operating on Republic Street, Central Road, near North Road Primary School, Market place, Lorry Park, Manafwa Road and Cathedral Avenue.
Police has been blamed for the laxity which has caused rise in numbers of sex workers in Mbale.
Mr Robert Tukei, the Elgon region Police spokesperson, said they would soon conduct an operation to arrest all sex workers in the town.
“We shall take action. We are going to arrest and charge them accordingly,” he said. Ms Lilian Nakawesi, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner, says sex workers are also becoming a security threat in Mbale.