Owners of food kiosks including those who sell fresh fruits and vegetables within Nakuru’s Central Business District (CBD) have been instructed to maintain high standards of hygiene to avoid spreading diseases.
According to County Health executive Dr Samuel Mwaura, some traders were operating in very dirty conditions that were hazardous to unsuspecting customers.
Speaking at the Maasai Market after conducting a hygiene check in different city market kiosks, backstreet joints and hotels, Mwaura called for cleanliness to be maintained in order to ensure a healthy society.
“Today, no arrests have been made because it’s our responsibility to ensure that hotel owners operate under stipulated health conditions. Some have complied yet others need to up their game,” he noted.
The health expert said that hygiene was a matter of concern to everybody because a simple mistake can put the lives of many people at risk.
He further revealed that he would liaise with different sub-county health officers to help distribute manuals with information of the required standards under which all food kiosksand hotels must operate.
“Now that a majority of those in operation seem not to have a clue of what is required of them, we will distribute manuals in collaboration with sub county offices,” Mwaura said.
He accused irresponsible operators and corrupt officials for the cholera outbreak that befell the county earlier in the year saying that if the required hygiene standards were met, such cases would never have been associated with Nakuru.
“It was sad that officers who were entrusted to arrest incompliant operators received bribes and allowed our people to succumb to the disease,” he explained adding that “This time, nothing will be left to chance.”
Operators were given a month to adhere to the set standards before a major swoop will be conducted in the County. Those found guilty will face the law.