Kitui County Assembly Speaker Hon Kelvin Kinengo has backed up a move by Kitui County government to relocate local traders situated along Kitui County Refferal Hosipital OPD Gate and those based next to KMTC fence to give way for road reserve and cabro set up.
Addressing a query by a concerned Kitui resident on a popular WhatsApp group, dubbed Kitui Professional Chat, Assembly Speaker Hon. Kelvin Kinengo said Kitui county executive’s proposal to relocate traders operating in temporary structures along the road reserve to facilitate road improvements is well thought idea .
Kinengo emphasized the need for collective support from the community and the County Assembly to ensure Kitui town’s development, even when such decisions may inconvenience some.
“If we want Kitui town to grow, we should support our County government through the Kitui Municipality, even after it makes some decisions which may affect some people,” Kinengo said, urging collaboration between the Assembly and the Executive to ensure town expansion.
The concerned Kitui resident Musembi Kitavi voiced concerns over the proposal, arguing that before relocating the traders, the county should complete the stalled Kithomboani Market, which has reportedly consumed over Ksh 300 million, as per the Office of the Auditor General’s 2019 and 2020 reports. Kitavi pointed out that the market has the capacity to accommodate many of the traders currently crowding the town center, questioning why the project remains incomplete.
In a notice dated October 7, 2024, the county government instructed traders to vacate the road reserve near Kitui Referral Hospital OPD Gate and KMTC within seven days to allow for improvements, including excavation and cabro works. However, traders have resisted the move, insisting they need alternative trading locations and citing incomplete projects, such as the Kithomboani Market initiated by former Governor Charity Ngilu, which is now under investigation by the EACC.
Another netizen, Hon. Mutanu, supported the call to reorganize the town but criticized political interference from previous administrations for disrupting progress, urging leaders to communicate honestly with the public.
As the county government prepares to enforce the notice, the debate over the stalled Kithomboani Market and proper relocation plans for the affected traders remains a pressing issue within the community.
