Deputy President William Ruto addresses a rally at Kongowea Market, Nayli, Mombasa County. [DPPS, Standard]
Traders at Mombasa's Kongowea market have called for a probe on how Sh2 million donated by Deputy President William Ruto was shared out.
The traders said some individuals hijacked Ruto’s visit to the place and allegedly disappeared with the money meant to boost small-scale businesses.
“The Sh2 million donated by the DP help small scale businesses landed in the wrong hands,” said the traders who were led by Mr Richard Nyangoto.
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He said the market has over 10,000 traders most of who live from hand to mouth and rely on their businesses to make ends meet but missed out on the Ruto empowerment package.
Nyangoto who said he was chairman at the market said the money never reached the deserving traders.
He said out of Sh2 million given out by Ruto, only Sh700,000 was distributed to the traders while the balance of Sh1.3 million disappeared.
Nyangoto who was flanked by market patron Mr Philip Sammy and market committee member Ms Millicent Odudo, said the money was distributed when most of the traders had left the market.
He insisted the balance has ended up in some individuals’ pockets.
“The purported officials had sidelined the bonafide market officials intending to embezzle the money and we, therefore, want the balance recovered,” he said.
Nyangoto claimed money has caused division among the traders.
He noted that before Ruto’s tour and dishing of the money the traders at the market were united.
He said some traders at some sections of the market were given Sh5000 out of the total amount of Sh2 million.
He said they had alerted Nyali MP Mr Mohamed Ali about the possible disappearance of the funds at the market but they were ignored.
“Some traders were to receive Sh100 and others Sh50 which is an insult,” he added.
Mr Sammy lauded the DP for his frequent visits to the market but he sympathised with him for the incident in which the money meant for the traders ended up in the wrong hands.
He said those who attended the rally at the market were people brought in from outside the area to share the money meant for traders.
“We were left out as the genuine traders and this is has split traders at the market,” he said.
