The Housing Department wants the national government to take over the role of ensuring traders operate in multi-billion shillings modern markets that have been handed to the counties so that they are not deserted days after launch.
Housing PS Charles Hinga told MPs that markets already transferred to devolved units had been run down due to poor enforcement.
“Markets are extremely political and guarded by cartels. The handed-over projects have been mismanaged, rundown and deserted due to a lack of enforcement,” he said.
“We believe the national government should take over enforcement to remove local politics.”
Mr Hinga appeared before the Committee on Housing investigating the status of the markets and affordable housing schemes.
He said the failure to determine who takes up the role of enforcement at the markets would see “the structures remain unoccupied because traders want to sell their wares along the roads”.
“The traders leave the market and the stalls that have been allocated to them unused. For instance, Githurai and Nyansiongo markets, which have already been launched by the President are increasingly being deserted,” said Mr Hinga.
The government and counties have entered into cost-sharing partnerships to build modern markets.
President William Ruto last month said the government has allocated Sh13 billion for the programme in the financial year 2023/24.
However, the development of markets is a devolved function under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution.
Mr Hinga revealed that President Ruto has directed the ministry to build 400 markets in his first term starting with the upgrade of 181 economic stimulus package markets.
“All the markets that we have done are normally presidential directives. We have been directed by the President to construct 20 markets each in Nairobi and Kiambu counties.”
Mr Hinga said subsequent to Dr Ruto’s directives, it was recognised that the Sh15 million allocated to build a market was found to be too low.
He said the Ministry has received a directive to upgrade the amount for construction of a market from Sh15 million to Sh50 million per market.
The committee chaired by Emurrua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno is investigating the circumstances under which Githurai Market cost Sh1.02 billion up from Sh827 million that was awarded to the contractor.
Mr Hinga admitted to the committee that the Githurai Market has a lot of design flaws that pushed the cost of construction up.
“I agree that at a cost of Sh64,000 per square meter is very expensive. It could be that this market was overdesigned. As we started, Kiambu County was the client and was to implement it as a mixed-use facility with 20 floors,” Mr Hinga said.
The PS said one of the things he found strange is that the market has things associated with a house like a balcony.
