Court battle halts Sh350 million market in Kisumu

Kisumu Municipal Market (Photo by Caleb King'wara,Standard)

KISUMU, KENYA: Plans by Kisumu to modernise Jubilee fresh produce market under the Sh4 billion Kisumu Urban Project could take long after efforts to relocate traders suffered a technical hitch

Complete evacuation of traders from the market is one of the conditions set by the French Development Agency funding the Sh300 million project.

The city management had secured an open field (Posta Grounds) near United Mall for the relocation of the nearly 1500 traders in and around the market but its ownership has been challenged in court.

The county cannot therefore temporarily move the traders to that ground. And the traders are also opposed to being disintegrated into various markets across town.

“At first we had asked the financiers to allow us move the traders to one side of the market and begin construction but they declined. The condition is that we must move all the traders and those operating around the market to a new place that meets certain conditions agreeable to public health and to the traders. And that is how we arrived at Posta Grounds, which is being challenged,” explained County’s Finance Executive Nerry Achar.

He said challenges in relocating traders have been the greatest impediment to the planned renovation of two other markets – Kibuye and Otonglo markets.

Delays in commencing the projects have seen funding slashed by more than 30 per cent, according  to Achar.