Toi traders get Sh5m to restart businesses

 Nairobi Governor Dr Evans Kidero, left, and Kibra MP Kenneth Okoth and Kibera Hawkers Market traders who lost their wares to fire this week on Thursday.  [Photo/Jonah Onyango/Standard]

Nairobi, Kenya: Governor Evans Kidero has given Sh5 million as compensation to traders in Kibera’s Toi market for the property lost in a recent fire tragedy.

A total of 246 registered businesses fell victim to the fire that left most of the families distraught since the market was their only source of income.

Dr Kidero presented cheques, each worth 20,000, to ten traders and told the others to collect their money from the sub-county office.

“The county government has not forgotten the people of Kibera and that is why I came to present the cheques so that traders can continue with their businesses. We disbursed the Sh5million in different cheques so as to ensure that the money got to those who suffered losses,” said Kidero.

Sympathising with the traders, the governor said they should be glad no one got hurt in the fire that destroyed property worth thousands.

The governor also vowed to help the traders acquire licenses for their businesses so as to enable them put up permanent structures.

He said he had embarked on a project to upgrade Kibera Olympic Primary school by allocating it Sh56 million.

“We have already kicked off our project at Olympic Primary and the Sh56 million will go towards putting up 24 classrooms, a dining hall and a kitchen in the school,” Kidero said.

Widows bill

Traders in the market expressed gratitude saying they were now better placed to revive their businesses.

“We were waiting for compensation from the insurers and we were afraid that it would take long before we revived our businesses. The governor has however made it possible for us to continue with business as usual as we wait for our insurance money,” said Mary Atieno, a trader at the market.

Some of the traders however requested the governor to help put up a perimeter wall as the previous one had been destroyed by the fire.

Jamii Bora also donated Sh200,000 to be used in putting up structures in the market.

Meanwhile, an organisation for widows has demanded  the creation of a widowhood bill to protect widows and widowers from abuse.

Come Together Widows and Orphans organisation said the proposed bill should be domesticated at all county governments.

 

Milly Okombo, the chairperson of the group, said the governments should be compelled to create loss and grief centres to manage the plight of widows, widowers and orphans in the country.

“The national government should create widows and orphans fund to break the begging culture associated with widowhood by allocating resources. It should also create a department for widows, widowers and orphans and devolve it to county governments,” said Ms Okombo.

Dianah Kamande of widows-led NGO championing for protection and advancement of widows rights identified as RONA said the bill should compel the government to create ‘grief protocol’ as a mandatory policy to protect employees, who often, are left to deal with loss and grief on their own.