A meeting between small-scale traders in Nyamakima and President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi, has helped solve a stalemate that would have seen millions of shillings lost.
Traders in the downtown area have been lamenting the loss of business and millions after their goods were held up at the Embakasi Inland Container Depot.
The seizure of the goods has ruined several businesses and left many traders in financial troubles after they were unable to repay loans taken from banks.
According to Samuel Karanja, who attended the State House meeting, the traders went to plead with President Uhuru Kenyatta to come to their rescue.
According to the Standard, the goods had been impounded due to failure to comply with stringent regulations effected without the traders’ knowledge, deceitful schemes by some major importers and in some cases extortion by rogue officials.
State House spokesperson Kanze Dena confirmed Uhuru met the Nyamakima traders.
“Yes, there was a meeting between the President and the representatives of small traders. It was a closed-door meeting,” said Kanze.
The meeting made the head of state to tour the Embakasi deport on Sunday and Monday where it was agreed that the goods will be released after three weeks.
The President also insisted that traders must also not play games while importing goods in efforts to try and escape paying taxes accordingly.