• Dispute with hawkers escalates as some traders claims their lives are in danger.
• Traders report matter to Central police station.
Image: FILE
A section of stall owners at the City Market have expressed fear for their lives following a dispute with hawkers who have invaded the facility.
The traders have reported to police claiming they have been threatened by unknown people for calling for the removal of the hawkers from the busy market.
They recorded a statement at Central police station under OB Number 08/07/2019.
“Our lives have been threatened. They are saying they will kill us if we continue championing the issues surrounding the welfare of traders and expansion of the market,” a trader told the Star.
Last week, the stall owners closed down for two days protesting the invasion of the market by hawkers.
They said hawkers had invaded the county-owned market and erected temporary stalls thereby disrupting their businesses.
But hawkers continued selling, saying they have a right to operate in the market.
Normal operations resumed on Thursday though the matter was not resolved despite the traders holding a meeting with Governor Mike Sonko to end the impasse.
The shop owners said their businesses were being disrupted despite paying for all licenses to the county government.
“These people are hawking everything including fish and meat. They do not pay for any license. They do not follow hygiene standards set out by the county government,” trader Jane Wambora said.
But the hawkers vowed to stay put, saying they were allowed to operate in the market by the governor.
The fight for space between shop owners and hawkers at City Market has been a recurring over the years.
The market was built in 1930 but has been overstretched by the big number of traders operating there.
Previous attempts to expand it hit a snag after a piece of land adjacent to the market that was transferred to the county by the national government mysteriously ended up in the hands of a private developer. The plot is currently used as a parking lot.