- The initial plan indicated that the expansion works were to take eight months and be ready by June 2020.
- Traders who rely on the market had to be relocated to the old town, exposing them to unfavourable business conditions.
Image: CHETI PRAXIDES
The Sh50 million Lamu municipal market is set to reopen in two weeks after it was closed four years ago for expansion.
The initial plan indicated that the expansion works were to take eight months and be ready by June 2020.
The delay in completion was blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic which the municipality said had forced them to halt construction for several months.
However, another pledge by the county that the market would be completed by January failed.
Municipality manager Omar Famau, Monday, expressed confidence that the market would be ready for traders by mid-May.
“At the height of the pandemic in 2020, the contractor could not work, he took a break due to Covid-19 regulations. The quarries we sourced our materials from had been also closed," Famau said.
He, however said a big part of the works had been covered and that the last bits were being finalised in the next few days.
“We are currently just fixing the doors, windows and gates and that will take about two weeks or less,” he said.
Traders who plied their business in the market had to be relocated to the old town, exposing them to unfavourable conditions.
“We moved to the Mkunguni Square, then Kibaki Grounds and now we are at Milano stage. It has been very frustrating because none of these places is good for business. We hope the market will be ready in two weeks as they said,” Muthoni Shiro, a trader said.
They have complained that their current location is too small and dirty putting them and their customers at risk of contracting and spreading airborne diseases.
“The state of the market can easily spread Covid-19 and other diseases because of how small the market is,”Athman Muhdhar, another trader said.
They also said the market does not have toilets and is full of flies, making it a health risk.
The new market is expected to accommodate more traders and comes with improved sanitation.
It will have a holding capacity of over 200 compared to the previous one which had less than 100 stalls.
Other features of the new market includes storage facilities, coolers for perishable products, ramps and facilities for persons living with disability.
The market upgrade project is being implemented by the county in partnership with the World Bank.
Lamu is among 10 municipalities selected for the World Bank's Sustainable Urban Economic Development Project.
The project aims to support fast-growing municipalities to develop sustainable urban economic plans and attract investment for critical infrastructure.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)