Kiambu County government and Madaraka Market traders in Thika have reached an agreement that will see the traders pay Sh20 on non-market days and Sh30 during market days.
This follows a meeting between the county government and market officials on how the market will be run after the traders protested against what they termed as a mistreat by the county government which made them engage in battle with police and the county Askaris for three days at the market.
The agreement, according to the county government, will see harmony and sanity return to the busy market that supplies food to North and Eastern Provinces of Kenya.
According to the County Secretary Fredrick Kitema, the market has for a long time fallen on hands of some cartels who claimed to be collecting money on behalf of the county, making delivery of services difficult.
“The market has for a long time been invaded by cartels and ‘criminal gangs’ who have been charging and letting out stalls. The gang has become such a threat that the county enforcement and public health officials could not access the market to render services,” said Kitema.
Kitema said that the market was dilapidated and it had proved hard for the county to gain entry even for public health officers and garbage collectors.
“During a routine operation in the market to enforce the law, the ‘cartels and gangs’ turned violent and this necessitated the police back up which was witnessed at the time of protest,” added Kitema.
The Secretary was backed by the Chief Officer of Public service Dominic Gicheru who said that the new levies were provided for in the new 2014 Finance Act that went through thorough public participation scrutiny.