Ministry to investigate demolition of stalls

The ministry of transport will investigate why the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHa) demolished stalls in Makueni County, principal secretary John Mosonik said on Monday.

He said his ministry has taken responsibility for the action by the authority.

On Saturday night, KeNHA officials demolished kiosks built near Mombasa Road in Malili, Salama and Sultan Hamud townships and damaged the property of the small scale traders.

“To the traders whose kiosks were demolished, I am sorry,” Mr Mosonik told the traders gathered at a hotel in Malili trading centre in Kilome Constituency where Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana was also present.

He added that the Ministry of Transport would take full responsibility for the losses incurred by the traders, without elaborating on what that would entail.

He said that Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia had agreed to Prof Kibwana’s request to delay the demolition of the shops by two weeks to enable the traders to relocate peacefully.

He said: “I learned about the demolitions on Saturday after the Governor complained and we shall investigate who overturned the orders to suspend the demolitions.”

On Saturday, Prof Kibwana and a team of county government officials toured 11 trading centres along Mombasa Road and told hawkers to stay put and that they had negotiated for a two-week grace period before they could be moved.

“I would also want to absolve the governor from blame. He indeed called the Cabinet Secretary and had been granted the two weeks grace period within which the hawkers would relocate,” said Mr Mosonik.

Traders who spoke at the event condemned the move to destroy their stalls and pleaded for compensation from the government.

“I was servicing a loan but after all my groceries and other wares in my stall at Sultan Hamud were damaged, I’m greatly frustrated,” said Ms Agatha Masila.

Addressing the hawkers, Prof Kibwana said that his administration was not opposed to their relocation plan by KeNHA.

“What we need to talk about is the modalities of the relocation of these hawkers,” he said.

Mr Mosonik invited Prof Kibwana for a meeting on Wednesday to iron out on the modalities of the planned relocation of the traders to give way to a planned road expansion.