A member of the Uasin Gishu County Assembly has suggested that the closed Eldoret Retail Market be converted into a car parking lot.
Simat/Kapseret MCA Moses Kebenei argues that the market is too small to accommodate the huge number of traders, hence the reason behind the regular push and pull that is usually witnessed.
The vocal ward representative notes that the best way the space can be utilized for the benefit of Eldoret town dwellers is for it to be converted into a car part.
“That market, if it were me, I would have ordered that it be flattened then converted into a parking lot for all vehicles in Eldoret town. If possible, that market be a massive car park so that we utilize markets outside the town,” Kebenei noted.
The MCA also points out that parking has been a major challenge in Eldoret, and with the city status push, converting the market would help provide a solution.
Kebenei was however quick to point out that the suggestion was merely his personal opinion and that it should be up to Uasin Gishu residents to decide on its fate.
Public participation
The County Government closed the market in mid-November 2022, after a chaotic clash between traders and enforcement officers.
Initially, it was to be opened after a week, but there have been indications that it might take long before traders are allowed to operate from it.
On Sunday, December 18, 2022, during a church service in Ainabkoi Sub County, Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim revealed that the question of whether to re-open the Eldoret Retail market or not will be put on members of the public to decide.
He also admitted that the market is too small. It is estimated that the closed market can accommodate up to 500 traders only.
“I have said the market should remain closed and when we do public participation, we will let the locals decide,” Chelilim said.
“We must respect the traders, but also we must have an environment that is peaceful and conducive. This is why we will allow traders and members of the public to decide the fate of the market,” he added.
The Eldoret Retail Market was first closed in 2018 for refurbishment that gave it a facelift and would later be reopened in 2019.
But with the recent closure and controversies surrounding it, it remains unclear what its fate would be.
Already, traders that have been operating from the market were asked to relocate to other markets outside the town centre.
Some of the markets the traders are now operating from include the Ksh100 million Kimumu/Bahati Wholesale Market, Kahoya Market, as well as markets in Kapseret and Kuinet trading centres.
