Siaya women clean up market to avert closure over poor sanitation
What you need to know:
- Officers from Siaya County public health and sanitation have issued a verbal closure warning of Wichlum beach market due to poor sanitation.
- Last Friday, the women led the youth in a clean-up exercise and sensitised the traders and the residents on the importance of proper sanitation.
Women, who constitute more than 60 per cent of traders at Wichlum beach market in Siaya County, have started cleaning up the open-air market to avert closure.
Two weeks ago, officers from Siaya County public health and sanitation inspected the facility in Bondo Sub-county and issued a verbal closure warning due to poor sanitation.
This is according to Phillip Aduonga, an administrator at Light Youth Group, which has partnered with a widow rights organisation, Rona Foundation, to run a climate change project in Bondo Sub-county in Siaya County. The project involves creating clean environments.
A toilet facility at Wichlum market in Bondo, Siaya County. A trader in the market says there are only six latrines in the market, serving more than 3,000 traders.
Last Friday, the women led the youth in a clean-up exercise and sensitised the traders and the residents on the importance of proper sanitation.
Esther Ann Aggay, one of the women traders who led the clean-up exercise said she is troubled with the closure warning.
“People should stop this reckless dumping of the waste. If this market closes, I have nowhere to go,” said Ms Aggay who sells fish.
Esther Ann Aggay, a trader at Wichlum market speaks to Nation.Africa during a clean-up exercise on April 11, 2023.
The market is one of the 83 beach markets in Bondo Sub-county and is enclosed by residential estates.
The traders and the locals have turned an open area in one of the residential estates into a garbage dump.
One woman has set an open fire right on the dumping site from where she fries small and large fish including Tilapia and Lake Victoria sardine.
Jecinta Atieno, who sells Lake Victoria sardine said without immediate intervention from Siaya County and its stakeholders, the lake would be choked with waste, in the near future.
“There are only six latrines in the market, serving more than 3,000 traders and they have overflown. Now, people are defecating on the shores of the lake. They are polluting the lake with pampers and used sanitary towels. Very soon, they will kill all the Lake Victoria sardines and I will have nothing to sell,” she said.
Jecinta Atieno who sells Lake Victoria sardine at Wichlum market, speaks to Nation.Africa during a market clean-up exercise on April 11, 2023.
Roseline Orwa, founder of Rona Foundation said the poor sanitation in the market poses “a serious health hazard” to the traders and residents, especially the children who scavenge on the garbage.
“We need to agree with the country which dates they will be collecting the garbage,” she said.
“The shop owners should also set their own garbage collection points. Wichlum market is a promising market; the county ought to ensure it has working sanitation systems,” said Ms Orwa.
Nation.Africa contacted Kennedy Oruenjo, Siaya County Director of Public Health and Sanitation to elaborate on the closure warning.
He, however, seemed unaware of the warning or the status of the market saying, “I cannot deny or confirm (issuance of the warning) since there has to be some correspondence.”
He promised to call back once he got information on the same but he hadn’t by the time of publishing the article.
