Garissa traders decry losses as stalls are demolished amid relocation dispute

Traders at Garissa's Orahey open-air market are counting losses after the municipality demolished their stalls following a long-standing dispute over relocation.

The traders had defied a notice issued three weeks ago by the municipality to move to the newly constructed Orahey Modern Market, which was recently inaugurated by the Garissa Governor Nathif Jama Adam.

Speaking to The Eastleigh Voice, the traders said they intend to move to court, alleging they lost goods and property worth millions of shillings due to the demolition.

Abshiro Aden, a trader who claims to have lost goods and property worth over Sh600,000, said she opposed the relocation after the municipality failed to allocate her a stall in the new market.

“I wasn’t given a stall at the new market. The allocation process was marred by corruption and nepotism. We’ve been protesting at the municipality offices for the last three weeks, but no one helped us. Today, they brought in bulldozers to destroy our stalls,” she said.

The newly opened Orahey Modern Market in Garissa town. (Issa Hussein)

Abdi Hassan, another trader, said his hotel business suffered severe losses after the municipality demolished his premises. He claimed he was only offered a small table at the new market, which was inadequate for his business.

“How do they expect me to run a hotel from a small table? I asked for a spacious stall to accommodate my business, but my request was denied. I’m devastated to see my business destroyed today,” he lamented.

Some traders reported that their goods were looted after the stalls were demolished.

The Garissa municipality and traders had been embroiled in a three-week dispute over the relocation plan, which aimed to decongest the busy Posta Road.

The demolition occurred just a day after the Garissa County Assembly debated the allocation of stalls and tables at the newly opened Orahey Modern Market. Some members of the assembly, responding to a statement raised by ODM-nominated MCA Ayan Mohamed Weyrah, accused the municipality of bias and discrimination in the allocation process.

“The municipality failed to allocate stalls to the traders who were originally targeted in the exercise. We need an audit of how these stalls were distributed, as many traders remained in the open-air market, defying relocation orders,” Ayan said.

The newly opened Orahey Modern Market in Garissa town. (Issa Hussein)

Garissa Municipality CEO Mohamed Hassan Osman was unavailable for comment regarding the demolition. However, in a previous interview with The Eastleigh Voice, he denied allegations of excluding rightful beneficiaries.

"The Orahey open-air market traders were unhappy with the size of the retail and table stalls allocated to them. They wanted larger spaces for their businesses, which is challenging because the modern market is designed to accommodate one trader per stall,” Osman explained.

He further clarified that the new market has 202 retail stalls and 216 tables, and while space is limited, it was built to accommodate traders from the Orahey open-air market who were given notice to vacate and help decongest Posta Road.

The CEO dismissed allegations of corruption in the stall allocation process, urging anyone with evidence to report to his office or the regional Ethics and Anti-Corruption office in Garissa.