• The market was built by the national government to accommodate traders who were evicted to pave way for the refurbishment of the Sh3 billion Kisumu Port.
• Nyong’o's administration has been in a standoff with national government administrators in Kisumu over balloting of the market.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
The Kisumu government has the mandate to manage the Sh600 million Uhuru Business Park Complex market, Governor Anyang Nyong’o has said.
His administration has been in a standoff with national government administrators in Kisumu over balloting of the market.
Nyong’o, who broke his silence over the standoff on Tuesday, said the county should take charge of running the affairs of the market.
He said the market had been handed over to the county for its management after signing a lease with the Kenya Railways.
In the agreement, the county and railways have a 60 and 40 per cent split in the management of the market respectively.
The market was built by the national government to accommodate traders who were evicted to pave way for the refurbishment of the Sh3 billion Kisumu Port.
Last week, balloting of the market was suspended to allow the hearing and determination of a petition filed at the High Court.
The county moved to court seeking to stop the exercise. Judge Fred Ochieng directed the status quo be maintained.
In effect, he said the proposed balloting and setting up of the management board would not be undertaken as scheduled.
City manager Abala Wanga said balloting was halted to allow further consultation on structure and organisation at the market.
He said the market is just a hall without portions which requires proper design to be put in place before traders occupy the market.
"We have to take traders in a well partitioned and organised market. They cannot operate as if it is a jungle," Wanga said.
With proper structures and organisation, he said genuine traders will all benefit, thereby blocking cartels from the market.
He said some of the affected traders in Akamba and Winmart are missing in the list that had been published by county commissioner Josephine Ouko.
"These are issues we want to sort out to ensure no trader is left out. We are looking towards working with the national government to harmonise the list," Wanga said.
The manager said the city has received an electricity bill of Sh5 million from the market.
He said no trader should pay to be given stalls and warned cartels to stop hiring people purporting to be traders to malign Nyong’o's administration.
“Some of those protesting are not even genuine traders. We must stop politicising the market issue.
"We are aware some cartels have been collecting money from traders purporting to be allocating stalls. Such must stop,” he added.
Wanga said they were to meet with representatives of traders to discuss a proper resettlement plan as per the design and organisation.
He said the county does not oppose the balloting but wants the process to be done above board.
"We want the President to commission the market when traders have occupied it," Wanga said.
Nyanza regional commissioner Magu Mutindika had said the balloting would go on with or without a court order. But he later said they would respect the court order.
"Those court orders are not relevant to us. Are they the ones who built the market? They have not spent a penny on that market. Let them take those court orders somewhere else?" Mutindika said.
He said the county should stop "disturbing people. Let them go and complete their market (Kibuye)."
Some Kisumu MCAs on Thursday demanded the postponement of the planned balloting to allow further consultation.
Market Milimani MCA Seth Ochieng, alias Adui, and his Railways counterpart David Arao urged the national government to postpone the balloting.
They said the county and national government needed to consult and agree on the space allocation.
“Balloting has been organised without the involvement of the office of the governor and city manager,” Ochieng said.
He added that consultations among the two levels of government were crucial to forestall wrangles.
“We want Nyong’o and Wanga to be involved in the process and harmonise the list of traders,” the MCA said.
Ochieng said the market had been handed over to the county and anything concerning it should originate from the devolved unit.
“Why are they again being bypassed by the national government administrators,” he said.
Ochieng said that, as leaders, they support the resettlement of the traders but the two governments must work as a team for a smooth transition.
The county leadership, he said, is not opposed to balloting but wants county involvement.
Arao, whose ward hosts the market, reiterated the need to clean the list of beneficiaries in consultation with the county leadership to forestall any backlash.
He said the list containing the names of the traders is not complete, noting that many traders who were affected by the demolitions are inauspiciously missing from the lists.
“We want genuine traders who were affected by the demolitions,” Arao said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)