Street vendors and informal traders have been urged to unite in order to improve and secure their socio-economic position through the pooling of resources.
Speaking in Nakuru on Thursday during as sensitization Forum, Kenya National Alliance of Street Vendors and Informal Traders-KENASVIT National Chair Anthony Kwach said the challenges being faced by the Street vendors and informal traders can only be addressed through their concerted efforts.
He added that time has for the Street vendors and informal traders to start thinking in the line of agri-business in order to empower themselves.
“The aim of today’s meeting was to encourage the street vendors and informal traders to unite and also start focusing on agribusiness as a way of empowering themselves economically,” said Kwach.
The organization has also called on the county government through the county assemblies to ensure gazettement of the various spaces within urban centres that are meant for Street vendors and informal traders.
This, KENASVIT says will help address the challenge that has been witnessed in the past where such spaces are grabbed or taken over by the leadership of the day leaving the traders hopeless.
“We are appealing to the legislators at the county and national level to ensure that the there is gazette notice for all spaces meant for Street vendors and informal traders to avoid more confrontation in future,” he said.
The Street vendors and informal traders are also calling on county governments as well as the national government to ensure the MSE Act of 2012 is adhered to.
The Act stipulates that the street vendors and informal traders should be recognized by both the National and county governments.
The Kenya National Alliance of Street Vendors and Informal Traders-KENASVIT was established in 2005 and registered in February 2006.
It represents an estimated 400,000 informal traders across the country with the head office being in Nakuru.
It aims at organising and empowering street vendors and informal traders to improve their businesses through training, access to credit, dialogue with local authorities and other relevant institutions on appropriate by-laws and policies that would give recognition to and bring to end harassment and discrimination against them.