Traders and Livestock farmers operating at the Soko Ng’ombe market in Garissa County have decried in what they term as the market neglect by government, leaving it with no clean toilets nor clean supply of water as well as adequate stalls for fodder traders.
They are calling on the government to improve market social amenities and provide on-site veterinary services for the farmers, especially during this drought period.
The traders were speaking during a meeting with officials from the state department of livestock and the state department for housing, who were collecting views on creating a model market to be replicated to other counties across the country.
“We do not have clean toilets in one of the biggest livestock markets in the country. We also need shades and a perimeter wall around this market,” Nuno said.
The Garissa livestock market is one of the biggest livestock markets in the country and in the East African region and serves farmers and businesspersons from all the northeastern counties, Tana River, Kitui and other parts of the country.
Soko Ng’ombe market, which attracts business people and farmers from all over the country, serves as a significant hub for trade in cattle, camels, goats and sheep.
Speaking during the meeting, the director for designs at the State Department for Housing, Kingwal Mwaluko, said that they would consider all the views received in developing the Garissa livestock market model, which would be ready within the next two months.
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Mwaluko further revealed that the Garissa market model would be replicated in other counties, noting that the government was keen on implementing programmes that benefit the common citizens under the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“We have come here in this market with our consultants to look at it and listen to the views of the stakeholders here so that we can design a model of a livestock yard which will be replicated in several other counties,” Mwaluko said.
“From continuous engagements with other stakeholders, a decision was made that this year, construction of these markets must start.
We are working on the final design of the livestock yard and if we start the construction works in March, then by December this year, this market should have been completed,” he added.
Stephen Mutuku, a Livestock development officer at the State Department for Livestock, said that by modernising the livestock market in Garissa, the government was improving the livelihood of the people in the region who are predominantly pastoralists who depend on the livestock.
“The reason why we are here is to acquaint ourselves with the situation so that we know what this market looks like, how it operates and how it benefits the people and the challenges so that we can devise mechanisms of improving it and other markets in the ASAL counties,” Mutuku said.
By Our Reporter
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