Traders' leaders in Kisumu have endorsed a report tabled at the Kisumu County Assembly recommending the eviction of all hawkers from the Kisumu central business district.
The leaders said the move was long overdue, adding that the planned expansion of the city required restoration of order.
They added that the heavy presence of hawkers in the CBD had made it difficult to transform the lakeside city into a secure economic and tourism hub.
The traders said the hawkers had brought unfair competition to those who remit statutory fees and rates to operate their businesses.
The report by the committee on Security, Tourism and Environment which is awaiting governor’s approval seeks to relocate hawkers and car cleaners from the CBD “for lowering it status”.
Speaking in an interview with HiviSasa,, Israel Agina, the chairman of Kisumu County Business Coalition said the chaotic nature of hawkers’ operations had made the CBD disorderly and unattractive for business.
“In developing economies, order is critical. The heavy presence of hawkers in the streets of Kisumu is a security threat and makes solid waste management difficult,” he said, adding that their removal would improve the city’s face for economic vibrancy.
The county’s executive officer of Kenya Association of Manufactures, Eric Ochieng, said the relocation has been discussed severally and is expected to be smooth.
He said the county had opened talks with Kenya Railways which is the chief land lord in Kisumu to accommodate the traders on a land next to the CBD.
They however cautioned that hawkers are a vital link to the needs of residents and an alternative location with basic amenities should therefore be provided before they are evicted.
“The initial impact will be devastating for the traders. Order must however be restored and consequently the relocation must happen,” said Ochieng.
Managing the politics of eviction, he said, would key in the planned ejection to avoid a repeat of what was witnessed when traders from Oile market were resettled a month ago.
Audi Ogada, the chairman of Kisumu City Residents’ Voice, said the county government should ensure the traders are involved in the decision making to ensure they do not incur losses when eviction is done.
“Over 70 per cent of traders in Kisumu are in the informal sector; the county should therefore ensure their participation in making these decisions,” he said, adding that the city cannot develop if its residents are jobless and their business initiatives are oppressed.
The traders, he said, borrow money from Saccos to start businesses in the town and that evictions should take into account the losses incurred by families when they are “demolished without proper plan”.
He however endorsed relocation of traders from the CBD saying the development being witnessed in Kisumu has come of age.
According to the report, the relocations were part of the Kisumu Integrated Plan that would also involve marking and painting of buildings within the CBD.
“This will also go a long way in integrating the county car park system and eliminating burglars who connive and disguise themselves as traders,” said Environment committee chairman Maurice Ondiek.
“The city has issued notices to stop the construction of structures in marked areas and those who do not respond to the notice will have their structures demolished,” said Ondiek.