Potato Hawking extended family of the late Internal Security minister George Saitoti is now demanding stalls at the World Bank funded- Ngong market.
According to the family, the late Prof Saitoti’s grandmother, Wanjiru Gichiru was Potato trader in the area(now Ngong Market) before independence.
Speaking at the burial of Mrs Peninah Wanjiru Kapaito, an elder sister to Prof Saitoti on Tuesday, former National Police Service Commissioner Ronald Musengi said his family had a long history in Kajiado and deserved a stake in the market.
“My grandmother was a sweet potato seller and I am surprised that the county government left us out. We should have been considered. There are leaders who are saying there is a problem with the allocation of market stalls. They have a right to point out such matters,” said Mr Musengi in the presence of Governor Joseph Ole Lenku.
Prof Saitoti’s widow, Margaret, sat pensively as the former Police commissioner made the demand for the stalls meant for traders who were relocated two years ago.
The Musengi family, which says, is now among dozen disgruntled residents citing skewed allocation of stalls. Some traders accuse leaders of allocating stalls to their proxies at a fee.
Last week, the Ministry of Infrastructure published 1,529 names of traders who had stalls at the site before construction of the new market started.
At the burial, Five MCAs from Kajiado North and area MP Joseph Manje threw their weight behind Governor Lenku saying they were confident the beneficiaries were genuine.
Governor Lenku assured residents that genuine trader would not be denied space at the new market adding that there were no outsiders as alleged by a cross section of opposition leaders.
“We have three markets under construction in Ngong, Kiserian and Kitengela. All these have committees and I have started to meet them to ensure the transition is smooth, devoid of corruption,” said the governor.
The 3000 capacity Ngong Market is a project on its last phase and fully funded by the World Bank through the Nairobi Metropolitan Services Improvement Programme (NAMSIP).
It is touted as the biggest modern market in East Africa that ought to propel Ngong town to a 24 hours economy and attract international investors.
In June, 8 years ago, Former Internal Security Minister Prof George Saitoti and his assistant minister Joshua Orwa Ojodeh were among six people who died in a police helicopter crash on a Sunday morning in Ngong area.
