[Source: The Standard, by Ignatius Odanga]
More than 500 open-air market traders have agreed to temporarily relocate to Kenya’s security strip at Soko Matope to pave way for construction of a modern fish market.
They, however, appealed to the county and national governments to assure them of their security because they are going to operate on the Kenya-Uganda border.
The county, through the World Bank, is set to start constructing a Sh60 million cross-border fish market at the Busia border after the contractor signed a tender agreement last Friday.
According to officials in the department of Agriculture, the contractor is expected to take six months to complete the project, which will enable the traders operate in a conducive environment.
The traders have been operating in makeshift structures and with no sewerage system since the market was started more than three decades ago.
Governor Sospeter Ojaamong’s administration supported the construction of the Jumuiya market on condition that revenue collected from the facility would be shared between the county and national governments.
Mr Ojaamong said the county had been shortchanged by the national government after donating land to set up one-stop border posts in Busia and Malaba.
According to the governor, the State reneged on a promise to construct trailer and taxi parks in return for the land.
[Full article: The Standard, by Ignatius Odanga]
