A section of members of the Uasin Gishu County Assembly has asked the county government to compensate traders affected by the closure of the Eldoret retail market.
Led by Langas MCA Francis Muya and his Huruma counterpart Kimani Wanjohi, the ward representatives say a majority of the traders lost millions of money following the closure.
The two say when the market was closed, without notice, some of the fresh produce that the traders had purchased rotted after they were denied access.
“We erred as a county by closing the market and we must be accountable by providing some kind of compensation to our traders,” the Langas MCA said.
“The genuine traders evicted from the market without due process must be compensated as they lost their property and even if they were to return to the market they don’t have stock and capital,” added his Huruma counterpart.
The ward representatives now want the county government to allocate funds to facilitate the compensation process.
The Eldoret retail market was closed in November 2022 after a clash between a section of traders and county enforcement officers.
Traders relocated
Over 6,000 traders that were operating from the market have since been forced to operate from either Kahoya or Kimumu/Bahati markets.
But according to the MCAs, not all traders were allocated space at the two markets.
“Of the 6,000 traders, only 800 were relocated, the rest are still struggling to find a place to operate from,” said the Huruma MCA Kimani Wanjohi.
They further expressed concerns over the lack of basic amenities at the two markets.
While some of the traders are now being forced to operate from the roadside at the Kahoya market, those at the Kimumu/Bahati Wholesale Market are facing security challenges.
“The two markets are poorly equipped. At Kahoya, the traders are at risk of being hit by vehicles as some have their goods on the roadside while the Kimumu/Bahati market has no bank and other key facilities,” noted Muya, who is also the County Assembly leader of the minority.
The two however welcomed plans by the national government to set up a multi-storey market in Eldoret town.
They said the project should be hastened so as to help address the challenge of lack of space in the current markets.
The ward reps further called for priority to be given to the traders that were operating from the closed market once the new market is complete.
Lands Cabinet Secretary Zacharia Mwangi on January 16, 2023, visited Eldoret town where he announced that construction works for the new market will be commissioned by President William Ruto latest in early February 2023.
