The construction of a new World Bank financed Sh700 million market in Ngong Town is set to finally take off after a deal was reached to move more than 2,000 traders from the site following a prolonged standoff over their fate. The traders have been locked in a dispute with the Kajiado County government for months on relocation procedures, threatening the project.
They have in the meantime been operating by the road side causing obstruction to motor vehicles next to Ngong bus terminus. The new temporary site, a three acre piece of land next to Ngong stadium, was acquired at a cost of Sh85 million. Each trader has been allocated one and half metre space at the new site, which was opened on Friday by Infrastructure CS James Macharia and Kajiado Governor Joseph ole Lenku.
“We have asked all the traders to leave the streets and road reserves and move to the new site. We want work on the new market to start next week…once complete it will give Ngong traders a chance to feed the satellite towns in Kajiado and Nairobi” said Mr Macharia.