Over 7000 street traders and hawkers in Nakuru town have petitioned the county government through the county assembly to pay them close to half a billion shillings in damages following their eviction from the Central Business DIstrict in 2015.
Through a petition filed to the Nakuru county assembly, the hawkers under their chairman Simon Nasieku, want the county assembly to compel Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua to compensate them for the losses they allegedly suffered during the eviction process.
The hawkers also want the county assembly to set up a special committee to look into what they termed as victimization by the county government of Nakuru.
"The county assembly should urgently setup a committee to validate and verify these claims of harassment of hawkers by the county government and losses suffered thereof," reads part of the petition.
The hawkers also want the county assembly to compel the county government to provide hawkers with an alternative and viable site for doing their businesses. The hawkers claim that they suffered huge losses after their properties were destroyed during the eviction.