Hawkers dance with death as modern markets remain idle
Traders at Londiani Junction are back on the road two days after a horrific accident at the spot left 52 dead.
Across the country, hawkers have abandoned the safety of markets to eke out a living along highways, risking injury and death.
Ms Jane Wanjiku, who has been trading along the highway in Matharu for the past two decades, said some of her colleagues have been injured or killed by speeding vehicles.
Ms Susan Mokeira, who runs a makeshift food kiosk along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway, nearly died two months ago when a bus travelling from Nairobi lost control and crashed into her kiosk.
“We are driven by the need to provide for our families. No one with any other means of earning a living could risk their life on the highway for as little as Sh200,” she said.
Sobea and Mau Summit are some of the highway markets in Nakuru County. Even after Molo sub-county authorities banned vending along the highway, the hawkers are still in business.
Meanwhile, markets such as Free Area Fresh Food, Pondamali and Kaptembwa, as well as modern stalls constructed in parts of Nakuru City, remain idle. The sheds at Kiratina market in Menengai ward and market stalls in the city remain unused.
In Kapseret and Huruma areas of Uasin Gishu County, traders have erected roadside shacks despite the government’s construction of modern markets.
“We take our goods to our target customers who are travellers. They like the fresh produce and that is why we like the roads, even though we are shocked by tragedies like the one that happened at Londiani,” said a trader.
In Maili Tisa, fruit vendors moved to the roadside after the famous Kampi Nyasi centre was demolished during the construction of the Eldoret bypass.
Last Tuesday, fresh produce and fruit vendors in Kitale town complained about the lack of designated trading areas, while others called on Governor George Natembeya to provide them with alternative safe areas.
In Nandi, traders have ignored warnings from the county government to stay off the roads. In major towns such as Kapsabet, Nandi Hills, Serem, Kabiyet, Kaptumo and Kobujoi, motorists have complained that traders are occupying spaces reserved for parking.
In Kabiyet town, Baringo County, traders are yet to occupy a modern market built in 2019 at a cost of Sh52 million by the county, complaining of poor ventilation and roofing.
Despite the availability of modern markets in Turkwel, Kalemngorok, Lokichar, Kainuk Lokori and Lokiriama, traders in Turkana still sell by the roadside. In Lodwar town, despite the renovation of the market, fresh produce traders sell on the streets, causing traffic congestion.
In Kilifi, vendors have ignored new markets despite repeated demolitions of their stalls by the Kenya National Highway Authority (KENHA). In Mtwapa town, where a modern market and bus park were built in 2016, are back on the highway, saying business was not as good in the market.
Tana River County has been forced to convert a Sh20 million market into a bus park after traders refused to occupy it, claiming it was too small.
In Kisii, despite the completion of the Sh107 million Nyakoe market, traders still prefer the Kisii-Oyugis road.
Kisumu’s Uhuru Business Park is yet to be fully occupied, with attempts to direct traffic to the market proving futile.
Reporting by Eric Matara, Rushdie Oudia, Wycliffe Nyaberi, George Odiwuor, Fred Kibor, Florah Koech, Evans Jaola, Tom Matoke, Sammy Lutta, Mercy Chelangat, Maureen Ongala and Stephen Odour
