More than 2, 000 traders and hawkers at Githurai stage in Ruiru Sub-County are set to be evicted in a bid to create space for development projects in the area.
According to the Ruiru Sub-County administrator Abdi Mohammed, Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) plans to evict the traders from the road reserve, as the Kiambu County government is set to commence construction of a modern bus park at the stage.
Mohammed said the contract has already been given to the contractors and the traders are expected to vacate the area soon, as they were issued a three months notice prior to the demolition of the stalls.
Speaking to this writer in his office on Monday, the administrator said they plan to evict the traders peacefully, and called upon them to relocate to the Githurai open air market.
“They were issued the notice prior to the eviction but they are likely to assume it and when we force them out, there will be demonstrations everywhere. We call upon the traders to vacate the stage on time instead of waiting for last minute rush,” he said.
He also called upon the ward administrators and local leaders to engage the residents in dialogue to urge them to shift their businesses to the open air market peacefully and on time.
The modern stage is set to be constructed after the Githurai Youth Bunge raised concerns over rising crime rate at the stage which is usually congested.
However, some traders are not happy with the move. They called upon the county government to allocate them a more convenient area to operate their businesses.
The traders said it was easier to operate their businesses near the highway than operating in an open air market.