Property of unknown value was burnt into ashes last week on Sunday

Madaraka Market, which hosts close to 5,000 traders has been in the centre of controversy pitting the traders and the county government of Kiambu.

So fierce have the protests been that they have claimed the life of one person.

Last Sunday’s fire which reduced the entire facility into ashes, is the latest in a series of confrontations.

Traders allege that more than 100 youth dressed in blue aprons, poured petrol on their produce before setting it on fire.

The attack was reportedly carried out under the watch of police and county askaris and traders believe it was a plot by the county government to evict them. 

Senator Kimani Wamatangi, MPs Alice Ng’an’ga (Thika), Ferdinand Waititu (Kabete) and a group of ward reps have turned the heat on Governor William Kabogo, accusing his administration of harassing the traders.

Mr Charles Njau, an official of the traders’ organisation, said there has been a drawn-out row over the ownership of the market land.

LEVIES

The county has been accusing the traders of failing to pay levies but the traders have been accusing it of failing collect the levies.

“Last week, the youth who we know because they have been brought up in this area announced that they will destroy this market claiming that we have not been paying rates and we are sure that they are responsible for the attack,” said Mr Njau, who been operating in the market for the last 15 years.

The county, he said, has been planning to evict them on grounds that it wants to develop modern facilities but the traders believe it’s a plot to take away the market from them.

“In 1997, the market was grabbed and subdivided into 366 stalls but only 66 were genuinely allocated yet there over 5,000 traders operating in it and the county has refused to revoke them,” he said.

TRADERS' IRE

Angered by the attack, the traders burnt a residential house and a vehicle belonging to the area ward representative Elizabeth Muthoni (Kamenu ward) whom they accused of being part of the plan by the county government to have them evicted from the market.

It’s not the first time the county government and the traders are locking horns over the facility that serves Kiambu, Machakos, Muranga, Garissa, Nairobi and Kirinyaga counties.

In January, the county government forcefully closed the facility alongside Jamuhuri Market, claiming that the traders had refused to pay levies.

The move which saw produce worth millions go to waste sparked a protest which left one person dead and three others injured after police fired live bullets to the protesters.

The market was later opened after four days following a directive from President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Senator Wamatangi says preliminary investigation point at county officials and security officers.

“We want investigations done on the county and police vehicles that ferried the arsonists as well as the people who authorised their use because we will not let the culprits get away with it like it happened the other time when people died and no action was taken,” Mr Wamatangi said.

POLITICAL STORM

Ms N’gan’ga who has warned the government of a political storm claimed that some of the arsonists were hired from the neighbouring Kiandutu slum.

Mr Kabogo has since denied that his government was behind an arson attack and has instead blamed it on a cartel.

“A group that purports to own the market and has been charging traders for use of the facility was behind the raid. For many years, the facility was under the control of cartels that have been preventing county officials from collecting revenue,” he said.

County Commissioner Alex ole Nkoyo said there are following several leads, adding that already one person has been arrested and was assisting the police with investigations.

A team has already been formed to probe the cause of the fire.

“Whatever happened was criminal because there was no notice to evict the traders. County government and police officers have been mentioned, and we intend to pursue all leads to ensure legal action is taken against those involved,” Mr Nkoyo said.