<p>Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) sauce is a cultural ready-to-eat (RTE) food in Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, but its microbiological safety is yet to be determined. The study aimed to evaluate the microbial safety of RTE Okra sauce by enumerating common bacterial biota. Seventy-two Okra sauce samples were collected from each of the three restaurants and street-vending sites of Assosa and Oda towns during dry and wet seasons. Bacterial groups and species in the food samples were enumerated using selective and differential media. Nine percent and 55% of the samples contain 10⁷&#xa0;cfu&#xa0;g⁻¹ of aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae, respectively. Twenty-five percent of the food samples contain &gt; 300 colonies of aerobic endospore-forming bacteria from 10^–2 sample dilutions. Similarly, the total coliform, fecal coliform, and S. aureus in 10^–2 sample dilution with colonies of 30–300 were 42%, 29%, and 43%, respectively. The study showed that samples collected during the dry season had significantly abundant (α = 0.05) bacterial groups compared to wet season samples. Similarly, samples from the streets were considerably contaminated compared to samples from restaurants. RTE Okra sauce food didn’t show significant variation based on the sampling site; the status of the contamination can be presented as “Oda Street Dry Season" &gt; “Oda Street Wet Season" &gt; “Assosa Street Dry Season” &gt; “Oda Restaurant Dry Season". According to FAO/WHO, the RTE Okra sauce samples are unsafe for consumption and require strict supervision by relevant public agencies.</p>