Traders read mischief in allocation of stalls at Garissa’s new Orahey Modern market

The new Orahey Modern Market in Garissa Town. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

Sahan Ali Aden, a vegetable and fruit vendor, stated that she has been a trader at the Orahey open-air market for the last 30 years and that she will not relocate from her big grocery store to a "toilet-size stall."

Another trader, Fatuma Aden, a long-time market trader, stood by her newly constructed stall, her voice tinged with discontent. "Here at Orahey, I built a structure to both sell and securely store my goods overnight," she explained. "Yet, at the new market, I've been allocated just a tiny table stall in an open-air building. I have nowhere to store my items safely. It's not fair."

Her plight highlights broader concerns about the adequacy and fairness of recent market changes, revealing a deeper struggle for vendors accustomed to a different standard of security and service.

However, The Eastleigh Voice established that the new market was met with mixed reactions: some traders opposed it, while others welcomed the development and were willing to relocate.

While some traders resisted the relocation, citing issues like receiving tables instead of stalls and feeling excluded, others were ready to transition to the new stalls.

Traders address the media outside Garissa Municipality offices in Garissa on Monday, August 12, 2024. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

Garissa Municipality CEO Mohamed Hassan Osman denied accusations of corruption and exclusion of the rightful beneficiaries from the distribution of retail stalls and table stalls in an interview with The Eastleigh Voice at his office.

The CEO said those who were protesting today at the municipality offices were primarily based at Garissa's Soko Mugdi market.

"Yes, some traders from the Orahey open-air market were among the protestors." There were very few who protested against the size of the retail and table stalls awarded to them; they needed extra stalls to accommodate their large-scale businesses, and this is a challenge since the modern market was designed to accommodate one single trader per stall," he claimed.

Mohammed addressed the situation by pointing out that the trader leading the demonstration was an official committee member at Soko Mugdi and was wrongfully demanding a stall in a market where he did not belong.

He clarified that the newly constructed modern market features 202 retail stalls and 216 tables, and despite its size limitations, it is designed to accommodate the traders from the Orahey open-air market who had been given notice to vacate and decongest Posta Road.

Mohamed Hassan also urged anyone with evidence of corruption to submit it for investigation and coordinate with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission for further action.

Municipality CEO Mohamed Hassan Osman during the interview with The Eastleigh Voice on Monday, August 12, 2024. (Photo: Issa Hussein)