Ofafa Traders Oppose Eviction Notice

Kisumu,

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

KNA By Milton Onyango

Traders at Ofafa Hall in Kisumu led by their representative Lavender Akinyi are wailing over Kisumu city manager Abala Wanga and another suspect by the name Ismael for giving tenants notice to evacuate their trading place near Ofafa Hall. 

The self-claimed owners have given  traders a two-hour ultimatum with many of the tenants now having left the place but claiming that what they know is that the contested parcel of land belongs to the Luo Council of Elders according to the title deed issued in 2022 but there are certain connected individuals with interest on this parcel of land which even made the matter go before the courts.

Akinyi pointed out that the traders have been utilizing the said parcel of land in the last two years despite unsuccessful attempts to move them.

Akinyi further lamented that the traders have lost a sizeable collage of their wares following the forceful evictions but the county government has not compensated them in any way.

“The seasons that I have traded here I have had constant threats from the county government of demolishing this place and the one on Friday was the fourth attempt but we cannot be doing business with daily threats hanging over us from the county government of demolishing this place because it is not healthy for our clients yet we hear that there are vested interests and there are big fishes who want to garb the place to establish a mall or a five-star hotel and they have already grabbed another parcel behind this place,” decried a resident, Akinyi. 

Another trader Joakim Obado while lamenting criticized Kisumu acting City Manager Abala Wanga over the endless harassment pointing out that the county government is well aware of how they can end the matter finally.

“I have been in this business since 2009 but we have had problems going way back to the municipal times till now the county government with the city manager Aballa Wanga constantly issuing us with verbal notices and now bringing the tractors till the area chief Willis Omondi intervened but we are saying that we are just but the small fish Aballa wanga if he has issues should deal squarely with the land owners whom we know with the matter currently being in Court,” pointed Obado

Courtesy; KNA