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Traders in Garissa town given one-week notice to vacate market access road

Makeshift structures constructed within the Soko Mugdi access road in Garissa Town. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

By Issa Hussein | 12 Apr 2024

The municipality emphasised that the access road was constructed to ease congestion and improve market accessibility, but the traders' presence hindered these efforts.

The Garissa municipality issued a one-week vacation notice on Friday to traders operating along the Soko Mugdi access road in Garissa town. In a notice, the municipality stated that the traders were causing obstruction and inconvenience to the general public.

The municipality emphasised that the access road was constructed to ease congestion and improve market accessibility, but the traders' presence hindered these efforts.

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"The purpose of this notice is to order you to vacate the said road on or before April 18, 2024. Failure to comply will result in necessary action," the order stated.

Halima Abdi Jehow, a vegetable trader affected by the notice, expressed concern over the short notice period and the lack of alternative relocation options.

"Last year, during the road construction, our properties were vandalised in a forceful eviction by the municipality enforcement team. We've worked hard to rebuild makeshift structures along the road. This one-week notice is another setback for us. We need to be provided with an alternative space," she said.

Yussuf Aden, another trader selling clothing on the access road, urged the municipality to engage in dialogue with the traders, numbering more than 500. He acknowledged the obstruction issue but emphasised the lack of alternative selling spaces.

In response, Garissa municipality CEO Mohamed Hassan Osman said that the traders had no excuse for occupying the market access road and urged them to comply with the notice.

"We engaged them on several occasions before issuing the notice, and they promised to vacate immediately after Ramadan," he claimed.

Mohamed highlighted the municipality staff's inability to access the market for garbage collection and to unclog the water drainage system, especially during the rainy season when floods could result from obstructed drainage.

The creation of the access road last year followed numerous fire outbreaks within the market, leading to significant losses as fire engines couldn't access the area due to the lack of access roads.

Despite protests from traders, the public and market traders alike called for the construction of access roads. The municipality demolished structures to pave the way for road construction after affected traders refused to comply with the order.

However, after the project's completion, the affected traders returned to the access road.