A week after a public notice ordered over 1,000 traders at the Kangangi Market to remove their goods and relocate to clear the site for the construction of a modernized market, a palpable air of confusion and uncertainty continues to hang over the area.
A spot check by the Kiambu Observer revealed significant congestion, especially along the market where most traders who deal in groceries struggled to fit into the space they were allocated through the balloting process conducted by their leaders.
For Mary Wangari, a trader who has operated inside Kangangi Market for over two decades, the upheaval has severely impacted her livelihood. “I feel disheartened [by] this site I was allocated since it’s now hard to conduct business because I’m now in an open field where we do not have even covers over our heads,” Mrs. Wangari lamented, detailing the adverse effect of moving out of the established market precincts.
Another trader, Joseph Kimani, whom the Observer found erecting a makeshift stall near Kiambu hospital, voiced serious fears regarding security. “We will now be forced to hire night guards to provide security over our wares since we do not know the outcome of what may come through during the night,” Kimani added, expressing his fear.
During its visit to the old site, the Kiambu Observer team encountered a deserted ground where many traders had already moved out their items, fearing the fast-approaching deadline. This left the grounds hollow, with others making a last-minute rush to clear their stock before earthmovers move to the scene.
However, a Kiambu County Government official, Ndiba Thande, in charge of public participation, addressed the displaced traders while urging them to cooperate with the construction plan.
He stated that Governor Kimani Wamatangi had pledged his full support for the traders and their new establishments, promising that they would also be compensated a ‘disturbance allowance’ so that they may settle well.
Thande further reassured the traders that for the entire time the market will be under construction, they will not be required to pay any fees to the County Government, a measure intended to help them fully stabilize in their new ventures.
