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Two Homa Bay lobby groups have asked the government to take action against traders who have increased prices of essential items over coronavirus.
The groups have written to the Competition Authority of Kenya to report the offending supermarkets, pharmacies, shops and other business outlets.
The Interface Community Help Desk chairman Oloo Gor and Asego Public Interest Mitigation Programme said that many residents cannot afford essential commodities due to hiked prices.
Gor said that the situation is likely to compromise the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
“Since the government had put a stop to any increase in prices of sanitation products, we want the CAK to force the business owners to return all extra monies they took from consumers,” Gor said.
The activists said they have already served the identified business owners with letters and demanded that they lower the prices of the products.
In the letter, Gor has listed different types of sanitisers whose prices have doubled from one seller to another.
He also claimed that there are many fake sanitisers which are sold to residents of Homa Bay.
“We’ve forwarded the complaints to police to take action and ensure residents are protected from such unscrupulous and unwanted business people,” he said.