Governor Fatuma Achani has officially reopened the Kombani Fresh Produce Wholesale market in Kwale county. The market was commissioned on December 2021 by then Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter, Land CAS Gideon Mung'aro, governor Salim Mvurya and EU ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger. However, the market was closed following a court dispute between a contractor and the Kwale county government.
The contractor had earlier been fired over the allegations of doing sub-standard work and abandoning the site. However, the contractor denied all the allegations saying the county had illegally subcontracted the project to another contractor and there were payment issues.
Speaking at Kombani, Achani condemned the incident and made clear that it does not stop traders from accessing the facility. She said the traders and residents have every right to use the facility because it was constructed with public money. The market was funded by the EU in partnership with the Kwale government.
However, Achani accused police officers of taking sides and protecting criminals who had been vandalizing government property. She said storage facilities, lights, wires and other equipment worth millions have been destroyed and stolen.
“This market belongs to the residents, if the security is not capable of protecting it, they should let us know,” she said. Achani said the insecurity in Kombani has risen because officers are compromised.
Source: the-star.co.ke