Kisii County Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry(KNCCI) chairman, Benjamin Onkoba has challenged the government to rid Kisii town of the street children to facilitate the county's dream of a 24-hour business economy.
Onkoba said that the urchins scare and harass female traders who sell their wares in the Central Business District at night, forcing them to close their operations early for their the safety.
Speaking to the press in Kisii town on Wednesday afternoon, the KNCCI boss lamented that the street boys not only harass female traders at night, but they also rob them of their wares and personal effects.
He called on the security agencies in the county to intensify night patrols across the town to assure area residents and traders of their security and that of their property.
Besides intensifying night patrols in the town, Onkoba said security officers should flush out the urchins from their hideouts in the streets and have them apprehended for causing disturbance to the members of the business community.
“I am worried that the solar street lights installed in the county’s urban areas will not make any meaningful contribution to the County's economic growth if the traders are not assured of their security at night while conducting businesses,” stated Onkoba.
Onkoba challenged the county government to set aside a designated place for small scale traders who spread and sell their goods outside the premises of large-scale licensed premises, obstructing their customers.