Drama at City market as traders allege favouritism in allocation of stalls

Traders at the City Market stage are raising concerns over the process of allocating market stalls at the bus park in railway grounds adjacent to Gatehouse.

The traders say that some are being unfairly evicted and removed from the list of traders expected to occupy the stalls once complete, and those seeking to secure a spot are being asked to part with a lump sum of money.

Paul Munyalo, a small-scale trader, says the issue is store allocation.

“When the stalls officially started being built, some traders who had initially occupied the market were removed from the list due to their political affiliations and failure to pay the required bribe to maintain their space in the market,” says Munyalo.

He adds, “The CECM for Trade, Stephen Kuria, visited the market this morning- December 14- and ordered a few selected traders, including myself, to be removed, stating we had no space. He warned that if we continued to protest, we would be arrested. Police were sent to seize some of my items in an attempt to force me to follow them so they could arrest me.”

Munyalo adds that the governor had promised to build stalls for the traders regardless of their political affiliations. Still, they are being forced to pay money, and everyone is building their stalls.

He also points out that the money being collected is not transparent.

“There are two handlers who come and collect the money, and we don't know where it goes. To get a stall, you have to pay Sh 30,000, yet we are required to pay a monthly fee of Sh. 300 and have official receipts for the payments to prove this."

Munyalo notes that the county government initially built 14 stalls, marked with blue paint according to their numbers, at a cost of Sh. 1.9 million. The other stalls were built by individuals who are now coming in and taking these spaces.

According to him, some traders have chosen to remain silent, while others are being threatened that if they speak out, they will be kicked out of the market.

Ezekiel Maore, another small-scale trader, says, "I’ve been told this stall isn’t mine, and even now, I’m being chased away. I’m left wondering where I’ll go. I have nowhere to go."

He adds, "We’re being asked for money, but we don’t even know who exactly we should give it to in order to secure a stall in the market."

Maore says for him to secure a stall, he and others are being asked to pay about Sh. 30,000 and even more and is seeing ‘outsiders’ occupying the stalls and having paid the money.

"I’ve been here since people were relocated from the Kwa Jack stage in 2021 when the stages were moved to help with decongestion. I’ve been paying my monthly license as required and don’t know what to do with these unveiling. We want the governor to address this issue so that we can know the truth and where things stand.”

Elizabeth Mbula, another small-scale trader at the market, says she moved in late 2022 and started with just an umbrella, as there were no stalls available then. However, when the sheds began to be set up, she lost her space and tried to inquire about it. She was told that no one knew anything.

“I woke up one day to find a stall built in the spot I had occupied for almost a year. I followed up with the CECM for Trade, Stephen Kuria, who told me he wasn’t aware of the owner and advised me to be patient, assuring me that I would be allocated a stall,” says Mbula.

She adds that, like her colleagues, she has heard that people are buying space at the market and constructing their stalls. When she tried to find out who exactly was selling the spaces, the would-be occupants told her they were just setting up the stalls without revealing how much they had invested in them.

Mtaa Wangu can confirm that, out of all the stalls built or under construction, only 14 were marked numerically at the top.

 Other stalls are half-constructed, while some are complete. Different stalls at various locations have masons and workers trying to finish the construction.

Mtaa Wangu can also confirm the existence of a tender notice document by the county government of Nakuru with the tender description ‘proposed market shed at the city market in London ward, Nakuru West sub-county, published on Friday 24th May 2024 and closed on Monday 3rd June 2024 at 10:00 A.M.