Thika District Business Association (TDBA) Secretary General Sam Chege has sought to bring together factions allegedly fighting over the control of the recently razed Madaraka Market.
Speaking in Makongeni on Thursday after attending a security meeting in Thika Town, Chege said that the association is ready to mediate and negotiate towards a lasting solution that will see various interested parties satisfied.
"It is very disheartening when strong individuals who have hidden interests in Madaraka Market keep on disrupting activities at the market. The people who eventually suffer are the little traders who entirely depend on the market for their day to day survival," said Chege.
He added: "As a business association and non-interested party in the market politics, I believe we can help negotiate a lasting solution into the problem."
Chege said that the recent incident that left the market completely burnt and merchandise worth millions destroyed, could have been triggered by competing interests among local politicians, cartels, and the county government or even among the traders themselves.
He asserted that a lasting solution is required to solve the problem once and for all.
"The problem has to be solved from the source. We must have a round table meeting with all the concerned parties and get to know which is that they want. Knee-jerk reactions by leaders when a problem arises doesn't seem to help much," Chege said.