Businessman sues county government over a new fish market near his hotel

A hotel owner in Homa Bay has sued the county government over construction of a fish market.

Homa Bay Hotels Limited claims its Sh4 billion investment will go down the drain after the county diverted water into the facility. The hotel’s lawyer Kenneth Amondi told the court that the construction of the fish market has blocked the view of the lake, hence rendering his client’s selling point, moot.

"The first defendant has literally turned more than half of the plaintiff hotel’s lakefront property into a busy ongoing construction site for the fish market thereby compromising the value, sales and business in what can be conservatively estimated at a loss to the range of Sh4 billion hence this court must move with alacrity to grant conservatory orders to arrest the mayhem,” argued Amondi.

He accused the county of tampering with the Lake Victoria beach. The lawyer claims the county has initially stated that it would construct the market in a different land.

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Engineer Maxwel Otieno, the hotel’s managing director, claims the market is a health hazard and will pose a risk to tourism business. The hotel also sued the Attorney General and Lands PS.