Traders at Lukolis Market in Teso South in Busia County have expressed fears over possible outbreaks of diseases due to the pathetic state of the market.
Led by Fridah Omuse, the group on Monday faulted the county government's reluctance to clean the market, despite subjecting them to heavy taxing.
They held demonstrations in a bid to push Governor Sospeter Ojaamong into acting, threatening to withhold taxes and payments demanded from them by the county.
The traders decried lack of toilets and water supply, adding that litter bins are also not available at the market.
"The county government has been charging us between Sh50 and Sh100 daily yet the market doesn’t have water, toilets and waste bins. Our governor should show us value for the money being collected by his government,” said Omuse.
Cleaners at the market also joined the protests, saying that despite being deployed to clean the facility, they have not been furnished with the necessary tools.
They also decried poor pay, with traders also complaining of a terrible stench emanating from uncollected heaps of garbage, which has made working at the market hard.
“We don’t have gumboots, rakes, wheelbarrows and gloves to do our job. We don’t want to be infected with cholera while in the line of duty because the Sh50 we are paid daily cannot buy drugs for a patient suffering from diarrhoea,” said one of the cleaners.