Relief as hawkers are allowed back in Mombasa Central Business District

Hawkers in Mombasa can now breathe a sigh of relief after the county authorities allowed them to operate on designated roads within the Central Business District.

The over 10,000 hawkers will now sell their merchandise along Custom Road on Sundays, signalling an end to the frequent running battles with officers from the county's inspectorate services.

According to Nyali MP Hezron Awiti, the truce between the county and hawkers was brokered last month during a meeting with Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho.

"The hawkers should not be discriminated against because they are playing an important role in the economic growth of the country. That is why we support the county's move to identify areas where they can operate freely without interference from county askaris," said Awiti.

  FREQUENT BATTLES

Last  Sunday, the hawkers were allowed to trade at the venue after the county authorities diverted vehicles to other routes, a move they said will benefit their trade.

Early this year, the hawkers took the county government to court seeking orders to stop their removal from the town centre, but Justice Edward Murithi declined to rule in their favour.

The court however directed Mombasa County to allocate the hawkers an open space outside the CBD.

Yesterday, Awiti announced that the county and the hawkers had reached a deal.