A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a multi-million
shilling fresh vegetables market in Nanyuki town aborted yesterday after
residents of Majengo protested its construction in their neighbourhood.
This
was the second time that the construction of the Sh10 million facility
failed to take off due to a controversy surrounding the plot on which it
is set to be erected. It is funded by the government through the
economic stimulus programme and will comprise 38 stalls.
The
town's mayor Mr Isaac Mathenge who was to preside over the exercise
together with the town clerk were turned back by a rowdy crowd that
vowed that the market would not be constructed there.
“This
ground is used by our children to play and our MP has already allocated
Sh300,000 from the constituency development fund to improve it. The plot
allocated for the market was grabbed and we will never allow the
council to construct the facility here,” a resident Mr Ranking
Wamatumbi said.
They said the ground was as old as Majengo and was also used for holding meetings by the residents.
Stadium
ward councillor Stephen Gichora said that he had not been informed
about the ground-breaking ceremony, despite the project being in his
area, which would given him a chance to convince the residents.
“Such
a ceremony should have been preceded by a meeting to prepare and
convince the residents to accept the project. I was not informed about
the ground-breaking yet this is my area,” the civic leader said.
Mr
Gichora said the funds were returned to the Treasury last year after
the contractor pulled out due to the controversy that surrounded the
ground.
“The contractor could not mobilize even after he was
given the go-ahead after he apparently feared losing his money,” Mr
Gichora said.
However, Mayor Mathenge warned that the council
could lose the allocation if the controversy persisted. He said it was
for Majengo people to decide which one between the market and the empty
ground would benefit them more.
After a meeting with officials of the residents, he said that the fate of the project will be known tomorrow.
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