Thika hawkers support Wa Iria’s bill on street hawking.
Jane Wangari (centre) addressing the press where they threw their weight behind Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria's bill on hawkers. |
A section of hawkers who ply their trade in Thika Town have
supported the proposed bill to the National Assembly by Murang’a Governor
Mwangi Wa Iria seeking to protect informal traders terming it a move in the
right direction.
Speaking to the press during a press briefing, the hawkers
said that the bill was long overdue as they have over the years suffered a lot
for lack of a comprehensive programme to accommodate them.
“We are basically ignored by the authorities when it comes
to planning. This has led to many of us to fall prey to county askaris who take
advantage of the confusion to fleece us and confiscate our merchandise causing
us huge losses,” said Jane Wangari who vends eggs and sausages.
She reckons that hawkers are an integral part of urban economies
and a source of livelihood to very many youth and women.
Wangari appealed to legislators in the current Parliament to
support the bill as this will help the authorities to come up with the right modalities
to not only regulate vendors, but also identify
specific areas for hawking with no restriction.
“The hawking menace can never be solved through hunting us
like criminals but through an organised stature across the country where we get
facilitated to work and also generate income for county governments through the
payment of trade licences,” suggested Kelvin Mwaura.
Mwaura also suggested that hawkers be given identity cards
and a regulatory environment be created for their activities.
“In my opinion, this bill should come up with modalities to
identify areas for hawking with no restriction or areas with restriction in
regard to day, time and area which would be marked as no-vending zones as
previously implemented in Nairobi City,” Mwaura added.
In regard to allocation of space, Mwaura proposed that county
governments should be guided on how to regulate allocation of space based on proximity
to potential clients.
“The county government can secure some land within the
proximity of the CBD which is easily accessible and near majority of the
residents. To match the number of applications with the number of spaces
available, the county government can construct a storey market so as to accommodate
as many of us as possible,” said Mwaura.
Caroline Wangui, a fruits vendor, narrated some of the
tribulations they undergo in the pursuit of their daily bread. She says that the
hawking business had been turned to a cat and mouse game where one had to live
with if they wanted to survive.
“Each time they arrest you, you get fined between sh. 500
and 1000, which at times is equivalent to the total cost of the goods in
question. This means that you end up opting to let go of your goods as it makes
no sense following them,” she says.
Governor Wa Iria said last week that he plans to sponsor
Hawkers Bill in Parliament to protect informal traders arguing that they were
major economy drivers.
Wa Iria argued that micro Economic intervention empowered
the grassroots. He pointed out that most
urban spaces were not designed to empower people or provide vibrant places
where opportunities for small entrepreneurs and informal activities (hawkers) could
trade and manufacture at viable locations.
To solve some of the biggest challenges facing urban centres
in Kenya, the governor suggested that authorities needed to tackle the issues
of unemployment through the provision of viable areas for self-employment
opportunities as well as improving the quality, standard of living and
infrastructure.
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