Kerugoya fruit vendors elated after moving to new market
A trader (right) sells fruits to a customer at the new market sheds near the Kerugoya County Referral Hospital in Kirinyaga County. Traders at the new market previously used to sell their commodities in the open.
Traders who have been hawking fruits near the Kerugoya County Referral Hospital in Kirinyaga are now a happy lot after the county government moved them to new modern market sheds.
The market sheds that have space for about 30 traders have brought great relief to the vendors who have had to brave harsh weather conditions as they carried out their business. Some even endangered their lives as they crisscrossed the busy highway hawking their fruits since they had no designated area to spread their commodities.
Ms Grace Wanjiru, the chairperson of the Kerugoya hospital market, said that the traders are now able to do their businesses throughout regardless of the prevailing weather conditions. She noted that the new market not only shields them from rains and sunshine but also has high standards of cleanliness, a factor that makes it more attractive to customers.
Ms Wanjiru thanked Governor Anne Waiguru for answering their prayer for a conducive working environment. She said that the traders are now looking forward to the opening of the new level five hospital that is expected to bring more human traffic since it will be serving more than 600 patients a day.
The market sheds that have space for about 30 traders have brought great relief to fruit vendors.
Target customers
The fruit market mainly targets people visiting the hospital as patients or those going to see their relatives admitted to the facility. The state-of-the-art hospital has a 342 bed capacity, an ICU, a HDU, surgical and general wards, a cancer centre and an oncology ward among other amenities.
Ms Agnes Wanja, another trader at the market, stated that they earlier used to spread their wares under trees opposite the hospital and that they worked under constant harassment by the government for selling from non-designated spaces. Besides, they used to incur losses since their fruits could quickly wither or rot during the hot weather or get muddy or spoilt during the rainy seasons. She noted that for the first time in the town’s history, fruit hawkers now have a decent market that is clean and safe in all weather conditions.
On her part, Ms Elsy Gaki said that during the rainy seasons, the traders had to wear gumboots in order to navigate the makeshift market and crisscross the streets in search of customers. At times, they could use umbrellas to shield their fruits but it would not help much and they had to incur the cost of replacing worn out umbrellas from time to time, she added.
Traders at the new market say that customers are now frequenting the market since it is clean and attractive.
Clean and attractive
She said that the traders, who are mainly women, can now comfortably wear sandals as they go about their business, noting that customers are now frequenting the market since it is clean and attractive.
“Each trader has adequate space which has well-constructed shelves for both storage and display of their fruits,” she said.
The market sheds compliment the town’s beatification programme that has seen the construction of cabro-paved car parking bays, non-motorised transport streets and storm water drainage system, all of which have given a new face to Kerugoya town.
In 2021, the county government also completed the construction of Kerugoya modern fresh produce market that accommodates about 1,200 traders who previously operated from an open air market.
The projects are part of an elaborate plan initiated by Governor Waiguru to improve the county’s urban infrastructure as an enabler to socio-economic development and improved livelihoods for all the residents.
The projects aim at turning the urban centres into economic hubs by improving trading experience through provision of a conducive environment for transacting business.
