‘Don’t Use Cartels to Plan for Us,’ Kangemi Traders Tells Housing Ministry

Kangemi Market traders have opposed a proposal by the Ministry of Housing to temporarily relocate them to private land at Mashiara Park to allow construction of the Kangemi Modern Market to proceed.

The traders say the proposed relocation could expose them to legal disputes and litigation because of questions surrounding ownership of the land.

Under the plan, the traders would operate from the Mashiara Park site until construction of the new market is completed.

Kangemi MCA Hamisi Maleya accused land cartels of interfering with the relocation process and misleading the Government. He said traders support the modern market project but want the agreed procedures followed.

“We wish to be clear: we support the construction of the modern market and the President’s initiative. What we oppose is any departure from the agreed process,” Maleya said.

He questioned why private land had been incorporated into the relocation plans, particularly when the property owner is reportedly in possession of ownership documents and a title deed.

“The involvement of private land raises legitimate questions, particularly where the owner holds valid ownership documents and a title deed. There are genuine reasons to believe that this could be a land-grabbing scheme orchestrated by this cartel,” Maleya said.

He urged relevant authorities to investigate the matter and provide a clear explanation of how the private property became part of the relocation arrangements.

“We therefore urge all relevant authorities to establish, transparently and conclusively, how and why private land has entered into the relocation arrangements,” he added.

Maleya also expressed concern that the profiling and identification of traders had not been completed as agreed.

He said the traders should first be properly identified and registered, with their details documented and stall numbers assigned before any relocation takes place.

“Relocating traders without first establishing who the genuine traders are, recording their details and assigning them corresponding stall numbers would create uncertainty and could undermine the very objective of the modern market project,” he said.