Kiambu Public Service and Administration chairman Dominic Gicheru has blamed cartels for the chaos that were experienced at Madaraka market in Thika over the weekend.
Speaking to the press yesterday, Mr Gicheru said that the chaos were planned and orchestrated by cartels who he said have been collecting huge sums of money from traders as market levies.
The chairman said that the cartels have been posing as county officials saying that the market was closed to investigate and take action against the cartels.
The official said that the county will crackdown on rogue cartels in markets across the county.
“We are going to launch a crackdown on people posing as county officials and collecting money from unsuspecting traders,” he said.
Gicheru at the same time accused Thika MP Alice Ng’ang’a of lying that she talked to President Uhuru Kenyatta who ordered the reopening of the market.
He said that he or the county government did not receive such orders from the national government.
The chairman said that he never received a call from the President or the government to reopen the market.
Gicheru dismissed claims that the county is planning to hike market levies saying that the matter is being politicized.
He asked traders to probe on the people who approach them claiming to be county officials and demanding payments.
Over the weekend chaos erupted as traders protested demanding reopening of the Madaraka market.