Unoccupied stalls to be taken back, warns official

By LAWRENCE ALURU

Siaya County: Siaya County government has issued a 14 day ultimatum to traders allocated stalls in Sega market to occupy them before they are repossessed.

Ugenya sub-County Acting Administrator Dominick Akugo, who issued the notice, said the traders have not used the stalls one year since they were allocated.

“We are planning to re-allocate the stalls to people who are in need of them,” he said adding that the traders disappeared and left the stalls locked over the period.

The administrator regretted that the national Government through the Economic Stimulus Programme spent over Sh9 million in putting up the fresh produce market which was left idle. “We cannot imagine the central Government spending more than Sh9 million and then the stalls are left without use,” Akugo added.

Akugo who was speaking to The Standard in his office in Ukwala lamented that many traders were suffering as they lacked stalls.

He added that this caused disorganisation in Sega town since some of the traders were forced to sell their goods beside the busy Kisumu-Busia highway.

“Traders doing business along the Kisumu-Busia highway are finding it difficult because of the danger posed as they risk being hurt by the speeding vehicles,” said the administrator.

He was flanked by the Ugenya sub-County Engineer Stephen Otieno and the Revenue Officer Moses Ochieng’. Otieno warned the traders against selling their products beside the road, noting that they now want all traders to operate inside the market.