Fruits and vegetable traders at Turbo market are protesting against what they term as unhygienic and poor working environment around the market that sits on the border of Kakamega and Uasin Gishu counties.
Speaking to West Media, the business women popularly known as ‘mama mbogas’ condemned the move by the County government of Uasin Gishu to eject them from Turbo town to a business unfriendly environment.
They complained that the new market site also serves as dumping site where all manner of waste including human waste are dumped. “Just look at all this garbage which include human wastes thrown all over yet we are selling foodstuffs, flies are coming from the waste to our goods I can tell you this is a recipe for diarrhea disease,” said one of the traders.
The traders also lamented that the new site is hidden at the back of the town and isn’t visible. They said situated at a spot where there are no activities going on therefore few customers can access it, a move they say has cost them loses running into thousands of shillings and even forced some of their colleagues to shut down their businesses. “I have lost a stock of fish worth Kshs. 50,000 after rotting, and I have been forced to throw them away because customers are not accessing this new market,” said Christine Makomere.
They also complained over poor security and lack of water and toilets at the market.
They claimed the unhygienic status of the market has also attracted destructive stray animals that included pigs, goats, sheep, dogs and cats which are reported
to scavenge food from piles of filthy garbage that are strewn all over the market. “Despite collecting a lot of cash in terms of levies, the County government of Uasin Gishu has turned against us and now we are being mistreated yet most of us are single mothers who are struggling to bring up our families from the little we get from the sells,” they lamented.
The traders now want the County government to allow them back to their shades within the town where they have been doing their businesses without any problem.“Such initiative will not only go a long way in attracting back traders who have already opted to close their businesses, but also reduce cases associated with filth and waterborne diseases.
