Help Garissa market fire victims, ex-MP appeals

Former Garissa Woman Representative Shukran Gure on Thursday urged well wishers, leaders, the government and NGOs to assist Garissa market fire victims.

The market commonly referred to as Suuq Muqdi was razed down last Thursday in a fire incident that affected more than 5,000 small and middle-level traders.

The cause of the fire has not been established. Some say it was deliberate, while others blame it on an electrical fault in one of the shops.

Speaking to the press in Garissa town, Gure, who is seeking to recapture the seat on a Wiper Party ticket, said it was important to mobilise resources for the affected traders as soon as possible.

She said she would be part of the rebuilding efforts. 

“We all know what this market means to hundreds of thousands of families. It's very heart breaking to witness this market burn to ashes every now and then,” Gure said.

Gure said resources and materials should be channelled in one central place before the same is distributed through officials who know their respective members better.

“As leaders we need to look at both short term and long term measures as far this problem is concerned," the former woman representative said. 

"Personally, I don’t think it will make much impact if, for example, I bought a few iron sheets and gave them to the traders.”

A spot check at the market on Thursday morning showed some traders busy rebuilding their stalls, some using old iron sheets that were partly scorched by the fire. 

However, a majority of them are still selling their merchandise along the Kismayo road, something that has resulted in traffic snarl-up.

Ambia Hassan, a trader at the market and who was one of those affected, was on Thursday busy reconstructing her stall, saying that she could not afford to stay out of her business for long.

“I used the little resources that I had saved to buy a few iron sheets and get a carpenter to repair my stall so that I can pick up the pieces and move on. Unfortunately our leaders are full of promises that they don’t deliver,” she said.

Eunice Wamboi, an avocado trader who opted to sell her merchandise along the street, said she does not have money to buy iron sheets to reconstruct her stall.

Last week the traders called for the disbandment of the market committee, accusing it of corruption and diversion of funds meant for them.

The traders said politicians and well wishers should stop channelling any assistance through the committee until a new one is formed.

Governor Ali Korane met officials of the market association led by chairman Billow Bashir on Friday to deliberate on ways of helping the victims.

He asked the committee to compile a list of victims from the more than 1,000 stalls and determine their priorities.

Garissa OCPD James Ngetich on Friday said they are investigating the incident.

(edited by Amol Awuor)