Nyandarua hands over markets management to committees
The Oleriondo market in Nyandarua County.
Overwhelmed by garbage collection and general management of markets, Nyandarua County is handing over the tasks to committees.
The committees will be involved in garbage management, maintenance, regulating business, and development of the facilities.
This is through a new model successfully tried at Soko Mpya along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway at the gateway to Nyandarua.
The trial at Soko Mpya was meant to set standards on how the county will run its markets, through active committees that will run about 90 percent of activities currently managed by the government.
Each market will have its regulatory committee answerable to the county government, and will actively be involved in revenue collection and management, bringing to an end the era where minor renovations of market centres took long before they were done due to procurement bureaucracies.
A percentage of the funds
“In the new model, the committees will be allowed to use a percentage of the funds collected at the market for maintenance and other urgent issues that can’t wait and do not require massive capital. This is unlike what is happening today where a revenue collection officer sits there collecting the money from the traders but cannot use the money to do critical rehabilitation that cost less than Sh10,000, a challenge that would have worsened by the time funds to do the job are procured and availed,” says Trade Executive Member Raphael Njui.
The trade department is also mapping out, classifying, and categorising its markets before gazetting them accordingly.
“Some markets will be allowed to operate daily depending on location and target customers especially those at the borders with Nyandarua and her neighbouring counties. We have had a trial with Miharati market, which has recorded improved business after giving it specific market days. It is now the busiest market place on Tuesdays, which makes it easier for the traders and customers to plan unlike when we have the same market days in markets that neighbour each other,” says Mr Njui.
The department is also partnering with youth groups and other community-based groups that will collect renewable garbage and supported to make compost manure for their farms and commercialised organic fertilizers.
The initiative will reduce the bulk of garbage transported to Ol Kalou dumping site from all over the county to only 10 percent, comprising of non-reusable and non-renewable materials.
