Water vendors in Mombasa County have protested the recent move by the county government to revoke their licenses.
The water vendors, led by Mombasa Water Kiosks Operators (MWKO) Chairman Gabriel Amok, warned that they would go to court after their licences were revoked.
The more than 800 water vendors said their business has been affected following the revocation of their licenses.
Mr Amok noted that the water vendors have each paid Sh10,000 for the annual license, adding that they also pay their monthly water bills on time.
“The county government has revoked our licences despite having paid Sh10,000 each for the annual licence. Members of the association will go to court if the county government does not cancel the directive. We are legitimately licensed vendors and we have invested heavily in the business,” said Amok.
Mombasa County government last week revoked the licenses of 2,500 vendors in the six sub-counties, accusing them of exploiting their customers after they increased their prices.
The water vendors however claimed that the Mombasa Water and Sewerage Company (MOWASCO) had inflated the price of water, a move that forced them to increase their prices.
“We believe Governor Hassan Joho who directed that our licences should be revoked has been fed with false information. We will go to court if we are not allowed to resume business,” he said.